Ocean Ripples
by Noriellie
Summary: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him.
1. Chapter 1

_Ocean Ripples_

_by Noriellie_

**Summary**: What would change if Ino had been put into Team 7 instead of Sakura? A lot of course, considering she doesn't even like Sasuke and tolerates Naruto. Undecided pairings.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing.

**Disclaimer**: Kishimoto is most definitely not female.

* * *

_Yamanaka Ino stared at the red ribbon in her hand. She had willingly offered her friendship to the pink-haired girl and this was how she was going to be treated? Like some trash? Oh, she'll show her. She wanted a rival, she'll get one. It didn't even matter that she didn't like the Uchiha boy. This was war._

xxxxx

The young blonde walked down the streets of Leaf. Her team had just gone on another useless mission together. Really, what was the point? She wanted to go on real ninja missions; like Daddy! She didn't want to be stuck weeding a garden. How was that supposed to make her stronger?

Ino brooded a bit more before she noticed a flash of pink hair. A mischievous grin found its way to her face. Time to go rub it in her face!

"Hey there, Forehead," she yelled in greeting, attracting most of the crowd's attention. The pink-haired Genin whirled around, rage on her features.

"What did you just call me, Ino-pig?" the other girl yelled just as loudly.

Ino faked a thoughtful look. "I forgot," she sighed dramatically. "I just can't get my mind off of Sasuke's _kind_ gesture to _me_ today."

Sakura visibly bristled. "I bet he just glared at you for being so weak and dragging the team down!" Ah, that hit a spot.

"You aren't any better!" she screamed. Damn it, this girl really got on her nerves.

The two each gave an indignant '_hmph!_' and stalked off towards their original destination. She missed the times when they would talk without conflict. Lost in her memories, she arrived at her empty home. She sucked in a breath and opened the door, the rusty hinges creaking. The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the whole house.

The teen entered her purple room and changed. Why did she even like the colour? It made everything seem so much darker. She sighed as she ran a hand through her long hair. She reached for a brush and stood in front of the vanity when she felt a tangle. Slightly dull azure eyes stared back at her. Ino glared at her reflection. Why was she so weak? Perhaps it was all the dieting? It probably was. She frowned. She disliked this feeling of uselessness; it made her feel pathetic.

Kakashi-sensei had said that she was a well-rounded person (not literally of course, she looked like a stick!) but she lacked physical strength. The boys were easily able to do twice as many push ups and pull ups than her. Though she expected it, she didn't think she was that weak. She ground her teeth together.

If Yamanaka Ino was one thing, she was determined. She'd get stronger for sure! (Showing Sakura up was just an added bonus.)

And so the blonde kunoichi trained harder each day. She'd always do twice of what was required of her and even started training on her own in the mornings. Her team had raised a brow at first but quickly got over it. As long as she didn't kill herself with exhaustion, they didn't really care.

The pain she always felt after the hard training made her feel a sense of satisfaction. She was slowly but surely getting stronger.

And now, to ditch the diet. She'd grimaced at first but she pulled through. Eating so little gave her no energy at all, making her exhausted a lot faster than the boys. Since that couldn't do, she started eating a lot more. That didn't mean she just ate whatever, hell no. She would only eat healthy stuff of course.

As the month wore on, Ino was satisfied with herself. Not only had she gotten a lot stronger physically, she'd also started gaining more curves. And her legs didn't look too shabby either.

xxxxx

"When are we getting a real mission?" Naruto whined. Ino resisted the urge to whack him upside the head. This was the tenth time that day.

"Shut up, Dobe," Sasuke said. She sighed.

"You shut up, you bastard!" Naruto shot back. She rolled her eyes at them. Seriously, those two got along so well. Would it hurt to be civil for once?

"Can you two please shut up!" she barked. They blinked at each other before turning their heads towards her. "If you don't like the mission, then hurry up and get it over with instead of whining like a brat!" she screamed at the Uzumaki. At Sasuke's smug smirk, she glared. "And _you_! Can't you at least reply without insulting him? Seriously!"

The shocked expressions on both their faces were priceless. Her inner-self was jumping for joy for getting such a reaction from Uchiha Sasuke. She needed to blow up in their faces a lot more.

"Sorry," Naruto muttered. She raised a brow at that. She didn't expect him to apologize.

Sasuke fidgeted. "Sorry," he sighed.

Ino laughed as she threw one arm at each of her teammates. They looked at her as if she was crazy. Heck, maybe she was. But who cared when you had such amusing teammates?

xxxxx

Kakashi was late, again. It was already an hour after the time he set. Her eye twitched. Maybe she should blow up in his face too. Her grin had her teammates on edge. It had been a few days after the first incident and they'd made sure not to make her angry again. They knew how much she hit her childhood friends for disobeying her. Wow, she sounded like a sadist.

"Maybe we should start turning up late too," she suggested. It'd teach their lazy sensei.

Naruto looked at her in awe. "Who knew you had a rebel in you, Ino-chan!" He received a whack on the head for that comment. She most definitely was not a rebel!

Sasuke smirked at them. "Is that denial I hear?" he asked. While the change in attitude was okay, the fact that he'd taken to _teasing_ of all things was not. Well, two could play at that game.

"I heard you helped Sakura pick up her groceries yesterday," she remarked. Was that a blush she saw? "If you ask me, that's basically proclaiming your love to her."

Naruto glared at the other boy. "What?" he yelled. "I thought you said you hated her!"

Saskue glared right back. "I never said that!"

"So you do love her," Ino fake-gasped. Sasuke's death glare swiveled to her. Her melodramatic fainting pose had Naruto stifling bouts of laughter. Soon, she joined in with a chuckle. Sasuke stayed strong for a good two minutes before the laughter got to him.

It was the first time she saw him actually smile.

Ino grinned. He looked a lot better happy than he did brooding. It was with that thought that she decided she'd make him smile a lot more.

"Sorry I'm late," Kakashi trailed off as he spotted the laughing Genin. His visible eye turned into a 'u', indicating his smile.

xxxxx

Team Seven was currently working on their teamwork. Wow this sucked. Who knew being tied together like this would make things so difficult? She groaned as they fell for probably the twentieth time that day.

"Sasuke, you idiot! Stop moving too fast!"

"You're the one being too slow, Dobe!"

Ino felt her eye twitching. Had they forgotten all about the other day? Oh well, she'd give them a reminder. "Shut up!" she screamed. "If you two stopped arguing for once and actually cooperated then we wouldn't be stuck like this!" Both Genin had frozen at her outburst. "Now get us up!"

The young mind walker found herself leading the team towards their goal; the training posts about twenty feet away from their starting position. She could feel the sweat forming. Just a little more…

A vein throbbed as they fell once again. "Get off! You're way too heavy!" she cried. Why did she have to be at the bottom? Naruto grunted as he pushed them up off the ground. "Now you better not trip again or else!" Threats like that always had Shika and Chouji scared. Then again, those two knew what she was capable of. She began planning her revenge when they fell, again, with her on the bottom, again. She groaned. This was going to be a long day of training.

"Sorry Ino-chan!"

"You'll be even sorrier one we're free from this thing!"

"Whatever."

"You wanna die, Uchiha?" was heard throughout within a ten mile radius.

xxxxx

The blonde kunoichi aimlessly walked around the village. It was dark and the sky was pouring but she didn't mind. She smiled sardonically. The sky was the only thing that understood her, it seemed.

Today was the day Sakura had called off their friendship. Really, she shouldn't have been so hung up over something like that, but she was. She was bitter and she wasn't going to deny it.

She'd teach the pink haired girl a lesson. No one tossed her aside so easily! She didn't care about Sakura; all she cared about was her reputation!

…was what she'd liked to say but she knew she couldn't. Sakura was her best friend so naturally it hurt when that relationship was so easily discarded; and over a boy too!

You couldn't blame her for crying.

"Shinobi don't show emotions," Sasuke's voice wafted over to her. It, however, lacked the steel that would usually come with such a sentence.

"Am I not allowed to be a girl for a little while?" she asked, her voice wavering. Thunder cracked.

She could feel the frown in his words. "Go home, Ino; you'll get sick."

She observed her surroundings. She'd somehow found her way to the training grounds. "You're one to talk," she sniffed. "Besides, it's on the other side of town."

"Hn." was all she heard before she was half-carried, half-dragged towards a cave of sorts. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her teammate. Seriously.

The two stayed in peaceful silence for a while before Ino was overcome with another sobbing fit. One great shinobi she was, she thought. She couldn't even control her own emotions. She hated her weakness.

What's worse was the fact that she had no one for comfort. She knew the Uchiha wouldn't give her that. Even though she'd finally gotten him to talk a lot more and they could finally be classified as friends, they weren't exactly was just no way. She cried harder. He was too stoic to offer anything, even after all that, and she knew this. Really, she expected it.

Imagine her surprise when Sasuke pulled her into a hug. She was not so insensitive so as to decline his offer of comfort; this must have been awkward for him. So she hugged back and cried until her eyes ran dry.

xxxxx

Ino awoke in her own room. Funny, she didn't remember—oh. She smiled to herself. He must have carried her all the way here. She smiled to herself. He wasn't bad at all.

The girl quickly got dressed. They were finally going on a C-rank mission. She definitely would not be late for that. She had to set an example after all! Not like her lazy, perverted sensei. She smiled fondly. She'd long ratted the silver haired Jounin out. She'd had a good laugh after she found out that the books he read weren't even Icha Icha. Shaking her head, she headed down for breakfast.

"Morning," her dad greeted.

She flashed him a bright smile. "Morning, Daddy."

"My little girl's growing up so fast," Inoichi wistfully said. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Surely you expected this," she said.

The older of the two pouted. "Yes but one can dream, no?"

"I'm going on a mission today."

"You go on missions everyday darling."

"Yes but this one's C-ranked, Daddy. It's the first one we've ever gotten!" Ino chatted excitedly. "And it's out of the village too!"

Inoichi raised a brow. He had a faint idea of what was going on. They were being sent on one of those missions. He hid a frown. What was Kakashi thinking?

"Then you'd butter hurry. It's almost eight," he suggested. Ino's eyes widened. She was supposed to meet the team at the gates soon!

With a chaste kiss to the cheek, Ino dashed out into the street. "See ya later, Daddy!"

The blonde jumped onto the roofs, heading towards the meeting place. She refused to be late! Yamanaka Ino was always on time.

She sighed as she gracefully landed beside a bored looking Naruto. She raised a brow. Was he really the first one here? Her thoughts wandered to last night. Sasuke hadn't gotten sick, had he? She hoped not.

"Hellooooooo? Earth to Ino-chan?" Naruto yelled as he waved a hand infront of her face. She quickly swatted that away.

"Sorry, Naruto. Ayway, are you the first one here?" she asked.

The other blonde nodded. "Yeah. Wonder what happened to Sasuke…heh. He probably chickened out." Ino chuckled at that. Yeah right, and she was Hokage.

The two waited for a while. Where were the remaining two? She gritted her teeth. They'd receive a lot of scolding when they got here. Except maybe Sasuke. He could be sick because of her. She shook her head. Was she going soft? No, definitely not.

"Change of plans guys," Kakashi said as he landed next to them. Ino raised a brow. "Sasuke's missing."

Ino's mind reeled. Sasuke was missing? Why? How? What? "But—" she began. "I saw him last night!"

Kakashi glanced at her. "We've been sent on a search and retrieval mission," he said. "Follow me."

They arrived at the Hokage Tower where they'd be receiving their briefing. She frowned. Why would Sasuke suddenly go missing?

"As you probably know, Uchiha Sasuke—" the Third began.

"Is right here," came the interruption. Ino almost leapt for joy.

"Never mind then," the Third said, his eyes twinkling.

Sasuke stood in his usual attire. Now, where had he gone off to? Something nagged at her but she ignored it.

"We'll call Tazuna-san back," an ANBU that had appeared out of nowhere said. Kakashi nodded, still eyeing Sasuke.

"Well? Let's go!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped out the window. She sighed. The boy was an endless ball of energy. She had to wonder where it all came from. She shrugged. Some things you can never understand.

The five walked in silence towards the Land of Waves. She sneaked a glance at Naurto. Now why was he being so quiet? One look told her everything. The boy looked constipated. She sighed. That's what he gets for eating instant ramen all the time. Really, how could anyone eat that without getting tired of it?

Ino had to admit the scenery was amazing. She'd never been this far out from the village. It made her feel slightly edgy yet excited all the same. The trees swayed in the morning breeze, as did their hair, and birds flew overhead. It was really peaceful out here. But of course it had to be broken.

They watched as Kakashi-sensei was torn to shreds right in front of them. Such young children shouldn't have to witness such a thing. Sure they were ninja now but they were still children!

Ino shook her head and leapt in front of Tazuna. She would protect their charge if it cost her her life. She watched as Sasuke leapt into action. If only she could be like him. A frown marred her delicate features. She would be like him, just he wait! The girl snapped back into attention when she saw the two ninja running towards her. Gritting her teeth, she formed the hand seals she never thought she'd use during this mission.

"Mind Disturbance Justsu!" she called out. She now had free reign on one of the ninja. The kunoichi smirked. With a slash, the other ninja was taken down with a kunai. She briefly wondered if she'd killed him. Blinking, she refocused on the task at hand. She'd have to incapacitate the other ninja somehow.

_Swoosh!_

A kunai was lodged inside the remaining opponent's neck. She glanced back and saw Kakashi-sensei walking up to them. He seemed pretty calm for someone who'd just murdered another person. She frowned. If only she could achieve that level of apathy. She scoffed. Hah, yeah right.

"Sorry I couldn't come earlier," Kakashi apologized.

Sasuke was openly glaring at her. What had gotten into him? "Why didn't you use that technique earlier?" he accused.

She felt a vein throb. "Oh, I'm sorry for thinking you guys could handle it," she spat. That hit a spot and they all knew it.

"Guys, stop," Kakashi warned. He turned to Naruto. "Naruto, we need to do something about that poisoned hand."

Naruto's eyes widened. "P-Poison?" he said meekly. She wished she knew the Mystical Palm Jutsu right about then.

"Anything you haven't told us, Tazuna-san?" Kakashi asked.

Turned out that their mission was under-ranked. This was way out of their league. They had to go back. Then Naruto surprised them all again. "This mission is still on!" he announced as he stabbed his hand with a kunai. Ino promptly smacked his head. What an idiot!

"You idiot!" she screeched, voicing her thoughts. Kakashi chuckled before growing solemn.

"That was great Naruto but you should stop that blood flow or you'll die," the Jounin said. Naruto paled.

She sighed but smiled all the same. "You're lucky I have bandages on me," she scolded. She unwrapped the ones on her abdomen and began covering his wound. Sasuke's barely audible snort was not lost on her.

Ino tended the campfire as her teammates slept. Her first A-rank mission, she thought with pride. And it wasn't a complete disaster too! She hummed a happy tune.

"Ino-chan," Naruto's drowsy voice interrupted. "You have a nice voice."

She grinned. "Thanks, Naruto!"

The other blonde fidgeted in his sleeping bag. "Can…can you sing it again? I don't know why but it reminds me of my mother," he murmured. Her gaze grew soft.

"Of course," she said. The boy instantly relaxed. She smiled, resuming her humming.

Naruto wasn't all that bad. If anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him.

* * *

**EDIT**: 12/04/13


	2. Chapter 2

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: What would change if Ino had been put into Team 7 instead of Sakura? A lot of course, considering she doesn't even like Sasuke and tolerates Naruto. Undecided pairings.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing.

**Disclaimer**: A few people would still be alive. 'Nuff said.

* * *

_Chapter 2_

Two old men and three young children walked through the forest path. Upon closer inspection, four of said characters were shinobi. Yamanaka Ino was one of them. Said girl huffed as she stared at her trembling hands. This was why she rarely used the Mind Disturbance Jutsu; it was too early for her to try such complicated techniques. She hid a scowl, wringing her hands together. Her teammates would never find out though. Not that she didn't trust them, Kami no, she just didn't want to be seen as weak. She'd trained hard and long and being called weak would be a big blow.

Speaking of big blows…

The five flattened themselves on the ground as a giant cleaver thing cut across where their hands had recently been. Ino, still shaking, instantly jumped to Tazuna's side. Like hell she'd leave him unprotected! He was their charge and she wasn't about to fail her first dangerous mission.

"The bridge builder, give him to me," the enemy ninja growled. She could feel the killer intent all the way from her position.

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Kakashi replied, voice not betraying him. She really wished she was able to do such a feat. Her voice would have definitely been shaking.

The two ninja clashed in such an intense battle Ino could barely keep up. But that was not where her attention truly was. Kakashi had the Sharingan in one eye. As far as she knew, he was no relative of the Uchiha. Then how? She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to think of an explanation. There was no way he'd have it. Unless…unless he stole it? But her sensei didn't seem like a thief. She shook her head. There had to be another explanation.

She jumped when she heard the familiar growl of her teammate. "Focus, Ino!" Coming back to her senses, she watched the battle unfold. Were they winning? She couldn't tell; surrounding her was thick fog that felt so suffocating she had to cough. She hated this. It felt as if she were trapped in a prison of loneliness.

"Sasuke? Naruto!" she yelled, panic clear in her voice.

A hand landed on her shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her skin. "I'm with you kid," Tazuna reassured. She instantly relaxed. She wasn't alone after all.

Then she felt it. Her sensor abilities had only just begun to grow but she could definitely feel it. The killing intent was clear and left her quaking with fear. She disliked the Yamanaka clan's sensitivity to chakra instantly. So much intensity…her legs finally gave way.

As the fog cleared, she could see that Sasuke had been affected by it too. "Ino-chan?" Naruto asked, clearly worried. Ino had to wonder how he hadn't felt it. Surely he had, right?

"I-I'm okay," she dismissed. She and Sasuke shared a glance as she got up again.

As the battle progressed, she had to fight the urge to run. Really, if you felt what she was feeling then you would run too. She hadn't thought that Kakashi was capable of such an aura. Then again, he was a Jounin.

She watched with horrified eyes as her sensei was trapped inside a water bubble. Impending doom was all she felt. She couldn't use the Mind Disturbance Jutsu again and she knew it. She ground her teeth together in frustration. Why was she so weak compared to the others? She banished the thought. She might not be as strong, but she was smart. She could use tactics to beat the opponent.

"Run!" Kakashi's demand broke her out of her reverie. She shot him a affronted look. They couldn't run now. If they did, he'd simply kill them.

A clone dashed towards them. She watched as Sasuke and Naruto were easily flicked aside like pieces of lint. It was only her now. She had to do something! Her mind screaming in protest, she formed the seals and locked onto her target.

"Mind Disturbance Jutsu!" she bellowed. It took everything she had not to collapse.

The clone stood stock still before going straight for the real Zabuza. She hoped she'd last long enough to at least distract him. Clenching her jaw, she willed the clone to slash at the original, breaking his hold on the prison.

"Success," she murmured as she released the jutsu. It was all up to them now. Fighting the incoming darkness, she forced herself to stay awake for at least a few more minutes. Why hadn't she just used the Mind Body Switch Technique? She didn't know why herself. The distraction was enough for fatigue to take over. She saw black.

The blonde awoke in a foreign room beside her sensei. Looking around, Ino saw a woman sitting not far from her position. She gingerly got up, feeling a massive headache coming. The woman seemed to be cutting some vegetables. Ino perked up at the sight. At least it was healthy.

"You shouldn't be up," she chastised. Ino blushed, earning herself a hearty chuckle. "I'm Tsunami by the way, Tazuna's daughter."

Ah. "I'm Yamanaka Ino," she introduced. "Thank you for taking care of us."

Tsunami waved a hand. "It's the least I could do," she dismissed. She eyed her. "You should go back to sleep."

Ino frowned but obliged nonetheless. It would help with the headache, she was sure. She fell into oblivion as soon as her head hit the pillow.

xxxxx

Training. She sighed. The first thing Kakashi-sensei had told them to do when he woke up was train.

"You shouldn't be sighing," said Sasuke. "You were the one who fainted."

She huffed. She knew the importance of training. Zabuza was a Jounin that they would barely be able to fight otherwise. "I know," was all she said.

Ino concentrated on her chakra core and guiding it to her feet. Once she felt the chakra pulsating around her legs, she ran. She managed twenty steps before losing her footing. She did a back-flip as she fell, saving herself. Twenty, huh? That wasn't much of an improvement from the nineteen she'd done an hour ago but it was still progress.

She flopped onto the ground. Her hands were still trembling. She frowned at them. They should've stopped when she woke up! Cursing her stupidity for pushing herself, she tried again. She led the warm chakra down her midriff, flow around her legs and surround her feet. Keeping her eyes closed, she walked calmly to the tree that she could easily sense (perhaps one of the perks of her sensor abilities) and focused on maintaining the chakra pooled at her soles. She would do this if it was the last thing she did. She'll show Mr. I'm-Better-Than-You-Are-Sasuke.

Her teammates watched in awe as she reached the top branch with no problems. She grinned at them. And that was how you climb up a tree. That'd show Sasuke.

"Good job, Ino," Kakashi praised. He looked mildly surprised at her speedy pick-up (not really, it took her an hour but still.) "You can rest for today." She nodded, already on her way back to the house.

The kunoichi smiled as she whistled. She wasn't going to stop training just because she'd finished, heavens no. She was going to improve her stamina and strength. Passing out in the middle of a fight was a big no-no! She grinned. Gathering some ropes and weights, Ino set out to forest, intending to run a few laps. This would increase her stamina for sure.

Watch out world, Yamanaka Ino's on her way!

Everyone eyed her and her equipment warily when she stepped into the house. She hid a grin. The boys weren't the only determined ones!

They ate, rowdy. Ino wondered if her teammates managed to reach the highest branch. She wouldn't be surprised if Sasuke had, and though she was a little doubtful, Naruto could have done so too. She eyed them and smiled. They looked beat! (And so did she but whatever.)

"You've worked well today," Kakashi complimented. "Tomorrow, we'll be doing the same exercise until you can do it without having to pause or run." The three Genin nodded, eager. They would do this for a week if it meant they could get stronger.

'I'll definitely be able to do that faster than those two!' she thought, brimming with confidence. Hey, she wasn't Yamanaka Ino for nothing.

They left soon after breakfast. Kakashi had told Ino to try walking up the tree without pausing to garner her chakra properly. It wasn't too hard since she'd memorized how it was done yesterday. After the first couple of tries, she could walk up and down; run up and down and skip up and down. She hadn't missed Sasuke's _and Naruto's_ watchful eyes. After that, her sensei had told her to try walking on water. It was the same technique she'd seen him and Zabuza do.

She told him she'd be done in an hour.

Half an hour later, Ino frowned at her wet clothes. She was getting nowhere with this. She sighed. Really, it shouldn't have been so hard. Maybe she shouldn't have been so cocky? She shook her head. She wasn't Ino, the most confident girl of her batch, for nothing. She'd be able to do this in half an hour. They had better be waiting for her when she got back.

Testing her technique, she stepped onto the water. It was liquid but she had to think of it as something solid else she'd be self-conscious and would lose concentration.

'It's just jelly, Ino, just really, really wet jelly,' she chanted in her mind.

It seemed to help as she got farther and farther into the lake. She grinned, committing the feeling to memory. It would be easier now after this. With a triumphant whoop, she jumped into the air…only to fall into the lake again.

Wet and shivering, Ino walked back with fifteen minutes to spare. Hah, take that, world! She hummed a merry tune, content with herself. Maybe she'd treat herself to some ice cream if they ever went out to town. She nodded to herself, already decided.

"Hey guys!" she greeted. She raised a brow at the two. Sasuke had more progress but she could see the cracks in the tree. He was putting in too much chakra. Really, she expected that from Naruto, not Sasuke. Speaking of the other blonde, he was doing well too; in terms of his natural lack of chakra control anyway. At least he wasn't complaining loudly. They nodded at her before going back to their tasks.

"Hey Ino," Kakashi greeted. "You done?" At her nod he handed her some Ryo. "Maybe you can go out with Tazuna-san later and buy some weapons."

She gave an affirmative. "I'll go look for him then," she announced before rushing off. She could buy some ice cream! Maybe she'd buy the guys something too; they had been working pretty hard.

The trek back to the house was peaceful. She'd stopped to admire a few flowers on the way but was otherwise unhindered. It was peaceful here. It made her long for the flower shop back at home but she quickly shook that off. She'd have to get used to missions like these.

"Ah, Ino-chan!" Tsunami greeted. "Back already?"

"Just came back to look for Tazuna-san," she supplied. Tsunami nodded.

"He's at the bridge working already," she said. Ino gave her farewells and went off.

The village was poor, to say the least. There was barely anything to be bought, really. She was lucky she even found a few good kunais and shuriken here. She frowned at the state of the place. Now she understood what Tazuna-san had meant when he said the bridge needed to completed. As they passed a few homeless children, she felt her anger rising. How dare that Gatuo guy do this! Who did he think he was?

Seething, she bought some snacks and an ice cream. She felt her rage seeping away as she ate the heavenly treat. She really should treat herself more.

By the time they got back, everyone was already lounging around in the living room. She grinned at them when she presented her treats. "You deserve it," she defended when they gave her furtive looks. "And here's some weapons for you, Kakashi-sensei."

He gladly took them with a hearty thank you and left to his room. She wondered what he needed them for. Shrugging since it was none of her business, she decided to chat with her teammates for a while.

"How far did you get up the tree?" she asked.

Naruto, as everyone was accustomed to, answered her first. "I've gotten really close to the highest branch!" he announced. "Just twenty more steps and I'll get to it!"

Sasuke snorted but gave no other response. She rolled her eyes at him and stared really intently until he started looking uncomfortable. "Close," was all he said. She shrugged. It was good enough for her.

* * *

**EDIT**: 12/04/13


	3. Chapter 3

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him. Undecided pairings.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing.

**Disclaimer**: The females would be stronger and less useless.

* * *

_Chapter 3_

"Say, Ino-chan, could you sing that song again?" Naruto asked. The two blondes were the only ones awake, everyone had fallen asleep long ago.

"Sure thing," Ino whispered. She grinned at him before humming her favourite tune. Her mother used to sing it to her when she was still alive. Fond memories engulfed her, allowing her to break out into singing the actual lyrics. While not the best around, her voice wasn't exactly cringe worthy so she didn't care. Besides, Naruto wasn't complaining.

The household was vibrating with warmth as she sang her song. Ino's mum had always said that songs had power in them. Perhaps she hadn't been lying? Ino chuckled inwardly. Her parents loved to joke around; she wouldn't be surprised if this was just another way to get her to sing.

When the song came to an end, she glanced over at her energy ball of a friend. He looked peaceful, snoring slightly. Yep, he definitely wasn't bad at all. She wondered why the villagers seemed to hate him so much. What had the poor boy done to them? Okay, maybe he was a bit of a troublemaker with his prankster ways, but they were all goodnatured and he would always clean up afterwards! Seriously, what was wrong with the world?

Naruto was an okay kid and he was actually fun to be around if you looked past the whining. He was always so open with his feelings, never hiding. It was something she admired about him. But there was always that look in his eyes, like he was always seeing ghosts of the past. She'd noticed it in the Academy but she never really found out what it actually was. Even now, she still didn't know.

Deciding she was too tired for this, she succumbed to sleep.

That night, Ino dreamt of endless black and crystal blue. She had no idea where it came from; not that she remembered any of it the morning after.

xxxxx

Naruto disappeared the whole day. Not that she minded, he could take care of himself. He might be an idiot but he was a determined idiot. He wouldn't die of chakra exhaustion so easily. That's what made him Naruto.

Ino and Tazuna had been helping Kakashi train too. They were currently sitting on him as he did his regular five hundred one finger push ups. The Jounin may not have looked like much but he was pretty strong. Even in his weakened state, he could manage this many. One could guess how many he would be able to do when fully recovered.

Tazuna asked why they were still here. The question was answered with something the Fourth had said. Ino could tell Kakashi idolized him but there was something else in his voice that she couldn't quite place. She let it go; she'd figure it out eventually.

Sasuke was another thing all together. He'd gone for a walk but hadn't returned. The boy had probably done some secret training too, now that she thought about it.

xxxxx

Both boys came home looked battered and spent. She grinned at them, already suspecting the news that came out of their mouths. Of course she teased Sasuke mercilessly for even bothering to carry the loudmouth back.

Dinner was a festive event.

"What do you know about me?" Inari cried. "You probably don't even know how hard life can be!"

Wrong, wrong, wrong! Naruto, stupid, moronic, cheerful and positive Naruto had a rougher past than probably anyone in this room (she wasn't so sure about Kakashi.) How dare the kid just assume that? Why she felt like exploding right then and there!

"Naruto—" she was cut of by Naruto's harsh words.

"Just keep on crying forever, you idiot!" he spat. "You little sissy!"

With that, he ran from the room. Ino glared at the kid before running after the other blonde. Even if he said he wanted to be alone, she wouldn't leave him. He needed to know that someone had noticed. He needed to know that he had real friends.

"Naruto!" she yelled as she caught his arm. He stopped, limp. She frowned at his moody air. "Just so you know…I'm always willing to talk. And also, I know how harsh your life has been. I've seen it too you know."

She left him after that, silent tears pouring down her face. She truly did feel sorry for the boy. With the same thought repeating through her mind, she fell asleep.

What if she had helped Naruto instead of Sakura?

xxxxx

'Ah, crap!' she cursed. That Zabuza guy was back. Seriously, why now? The suffocating mist rolled in once again. Argh, she hated this justu so much!

Sasuke quickly got rid of the water clones, having seen through them all. She watched with bated breath as he and the masked guy, Haku, fought. The whole time, she stuck close to Tazuna. He wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

In terms of speed, there was a clear winner. Haku was kicked back as Sasuke's plan worked.

"You shouldn't be underestimating these 'brats'," Kakashi started. "Sasuke's #1 rookie, Ino's #1 kunoichi and Naruto is the #1 loudmouth."

She sweatdropped at Naruto's description. Kakashi didn't lie though. Zabuza's chilling chuckle negated all positive thoughts. She gulped, feeling a rather ominous aura coming from Haku.

In an instant, Sasuke was encased in a dome of mirrors. She'd heard about this from her dad! She finally remembered who the boy really was and why he wore the weird mask. He was ANBU!

"Sasuke, be careful!" she warned. She didn't know the details of the jutsu but she knew it wasn't pretty.

A loud grunt echoed off the mountains. She ground her teeth. She had to distract the enemy! The Mind Body Switch was no use here…unless she got to Zabuza. But she had to be sneaky about it. He was a Jounin; he'd be able to tell what Jutsu she was doing from the last encounters.

The welcome distraction of Uzumaki Naruto was all she needed. Quickly forming the seals, she activated the jutsu. With a triumphant grin, she easily slipped into his consciousness.

Only to be unceremoniously shoved out.

Ino willed herself to go faster. Tazuna was clutching her lifeless body. Perhaps she had known all along that he was too skilled to be controlled by her current self. She shrugged it off; she had to focus on the present.

Back in her own body, Ino surveyed the situation. The idiot had gotten himself stuck inside the ice prison. She fought the impulse to sigh. Clenching her fists, she bit her tongue. Now was not the time to chastise him. No, there would be time for that when they got out of this bloody mess.

She knew they couldn't kill him. Just the thought of killing someone made her ill. She still had nightmares about that guy she'd almost killed on the way here. There was no way she could really kill anyone.

A strangled battle cry escaped her mouth as she tried to block the giant sword with her kunai. Her sensor abilities were finally redeeming themselves. Her arms shook at the huge strain. She wouldn't be able to keep this up for long and she knew it.

"Impressive," Zabuza muttered. She felt pride swell up inside her. It wasn't much but she was able to do her job and protect Tazuna! That had to account for something, right?

Kakashi appeared with a kunai in his hands, poised to strike. Zabuza disappeared into the blinding white. Ino cursed, trying to locate him. He had to be in here somewhere! She focused on the words being exchanged. Ino froze. Kakashi used to be ANBU? Confusion and excitement bubbled up inside her. Her sensei was former ANBU! She wondered if her dad knew this. He probably did since he worked in TI.

Her attention was called to Naruto's familiar chakra. She gasped. Was that really Naruto? It seemed more…wild. She frowned at Sasuke's dimming chakra signature. Her eyes widened as her whole body trembled. He was…he was dying; Sasuke was dying. She glanced at Tazuna with tearful eyes. Who was more important? Her charge or Sasuke? If you asked her heart then Sasuke of course but jumping in there would be foolish and he'd probably die of a heart attack. No, she'd stay here. It wasn't an easy decision but she'd stick by it. She had to trust Naruto with this. Besides, she was a shinobi. Shinobi put their missions first, right?

_Those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum._

Those were the words Kakashi had instilled within their young selves and those were the words that rang through her mind. She wasn't abandoning him, she was leaving him to Naruto. Abandoning meant walking away with the mindset of never seeing that person ever again! She was most definitely not leaving him behind!

She clenched her fists as the battles progressed. She refocused on Naruto. Ino fell to her knees. Such a sinister chakra source was living inside Naruto? All of the hints, all of the resentment finally made sense to her now. Naruto's birthday was the same day the Nine-Tails attacked the village. Naruto was the seal-bearer of the Nine-Tails. She admired him for being able to live after having such a heavy burden placed on him. But wait, didn't this mean that the seal had been broken? Her eyes grew into saucers. The Fourth's seals were supposed to be unbeatable!

The sound of shattering glass had her refocusing back to reality. She took a deep breath and righted herself. She was no use on the floor, damn it!

"Your future is death," the crackling sound of lightning could be heard. Was Kakashi a lightning elemental? She mused on what her natural element was before snapping back to attention. Daydreaming wasn't allowed on a battlefield! But it was just so boring and the tension was too much to handle. She had to _move_!

The suffocating mist finally started to clear. Ino scanned the vicinity for a body she could recognize. She noticed Kakashi's figure running towards a bigger, bulkier form.

The mist disappeared.

Haku was impaled with Kakashi's technique. It was a gruesome sight, one she was sure the former ANBU was used to. It didn't make it any less surprising. Or gut-wrenching.

She noticed eye catching yellow hair. She sighed in relief. "Naruto, I'm so glad you're safe," she said to herself. With that knowledge, she pulled Tazuna towards Sasuke's body. There had to be something she could do!

Ino flinched at Naruto's obnoxious voice. Really, couldn't he keep quiet for once? She was trying to concentrate here!

"There are way too many," Tazuna murmured. She knew. She could feel them.

She watched with misty eyes as Zabuza plowed through the mob. She had no doubts that he could do it. He still had a reasonable amount of chakra left. Though she noticed that quickly running out. She forced herself to look away.

"Ino…" Sasuke rasped. "You're heavy."

Ino felt her eye twitch. With a prompt smack to the arm, she yelled, "You idiot! How dare you call me fat!" She hit him again, wiping the smirk off his pretty face. The sheer nerve of this boy!

"S-Sasuke?" Naruto stammered. Sasuke stood and raised his hand in a greeting. She snorted. Boys.

"Oi, oi, oi! You guys are too comfortable over there," a random rouge nin yelled. She scowled at them.

Luckily, Inari's gang and Naruto's and Kakashi's clones helped them. The mercenaries fled. Sheesh, what a bunch of wimps!

xxxxx

Ino narrowed her eyes at her two teammates. They were worse than before and it was grating on her nerves! The way they were bickering was giving her a headache!

...

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP?" she exploded. She punched both boys and stalked off. Those two idiots were going to be the death of her. She almost wished she was in a team with Shikamaru and Chouji instead. At least those two got along.

Really, what was wrong with Sasuke and Naruto lately? You'd think that they would become better friends after the incident with Zabuza but _nooooooo_! It was annoying and she was sick of it. If those two refused to grow up then they'd better not expect any help from her any time soon!

"Hey, Ino. Hadn't seen you around for a while," Shikamaru greeted. She grinned in response.

"Wanna go eat?" Chouji offered. She searched for the familiar mess of pink hair. She raised a brow when she found none but quickly hid it.

"Sure!" she agreed. She missed these guys.

On their way to the BBQ place, they passed a suspicious silver haired ninja with glasses. Ino fought hard to ignore the kid's malicious intent.

* * *

**EDIT**: 12/04/13


	4. Chapter 4

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him. Undecided pairings.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence, gore

**Disclaimer**: So much more Ino screen time

* * *

_Chapter 4_

A lone figure stood amidst a training field. Dummies and weapons littered the grass, an obvious sign of rigorous training. The figure's knuckles were bleeding and a few cuts and bruises were shown on her bare skin.

Ino immersed herself in training once again. She'd definitely catch up to the boys! She was already getting stronger and stronger each day, she could feel it! But she knew just getting physically stronger wouldn't be enough. Focus, chakra control, jutsu proficiency—all those things and more made up a good shinobi.

Inoichi had been helping her with her Mind Disturbance Jutsu as well as teaching her some genjutsu. She really wanted to work on her elemental jutsu but she knew she wouldn't be able to do that without knowing what her natural affinity was. She'd always assumed it was Earth but lately, she wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe she'd ask Kakashi when he trained with them again?

"Training so vigorously will only hurt you in the end," Sasuke commented. She ignored him with an indignant huff. "So too with stubbornness."

"Don't need your advice, oh wise one," she said sardonically. Throwing a kunai right at the centre of her target to prove her point. He gave no response, only watching her train.

The two continued like that for a while, the occasional battle cries and whimpers breaking the peace. The rhythmic thumping as weapons hit their target filled the silence. The sun began to set, casting an orange glow to the objects. Ino stopped to admire the light glinting off her kunai. She frowned. She needed a new one, she observed.

"You done now?" his voice broke through her thoughts. She glanced at him.

"No," she said.

She formed her seals and targeted a nearby animal. Animals were much easier to control and took a lot less chakra. Though she felt kind of guilty, she had no choice. No one would be able to call her weak if she trained. And to her, being called weak was not something she was very fond of.

The poor rabbit hopped around helplessly. She made it do a pirouette, a skip, a split and a very complicated dance before she released the poor thing. Scurrying away as quickly as it could, it disappeared from her sight.

"Now are you done?" Sasuke asked once again, irritation clear in his voice. She sighed.

"Alright, what do you want?" she asked.

"Naruto won't tell me what happened after I passed out," he shrugged. He had interrupted her training for that?

"There's not much to say," she replied. "Haku sacrificed himself for Zabusa and Kakashi-sensei was about to finish him off when Gatou came. You know what happened after that."

"I'm not stupid Ino," he growled. "I felt it too."

She froze. Sasuke had felt it in his unconscious state? Maybe he was a sensor too? Thinking about it, she discarded the idea. He was just sensitive.

"So?" she snapped. If he thought differently of Naruto because of such a thing…she didn't know what she'd do to him.

"What was that?" he sighed. So he didn't know yet? Ino pursed her lips. It was illegal for the adults to tell their generation but it wasn't illegal for her to tell her friends.

"Not here," she said. "I'll tell you later."

With a frustrated groan, Sasuke finally left her. She stared at the kunai in her hands. Would she be able to tell him? Heck, she didn't even know if Naruto himself knew what it was inside him. Resolve set, she focused on practicing her genjutsu for a while.

xxxxx

"We're what?" Ino screeched at her sensei. They were too young for the Chuunin exams, what was he thinking? He stared at her with a droopy eyes. She felt her own visible eye twitching in annoyance.

"It's either all three of you or none of you," Kakashi said. She gritted her teeth. She had no doubts her two teammates would want to enter. One look at Naruto's pleading eyes had her sighing in defeat. With a pout, she snatched the application form and stomped away.

Stupid, reckless morons! They could very well die from the Chuunin Exams. Who were they kidding? They had barely been able to come out alive when they fought Zabuza.

But she knew she'd forgive them easily.

Ino walked down the streets of Konoha with a defeated air about her. She spotted children playing in the park, faces alight with joy and childish innocence. The gentle breeze caressed her cheeks as she thought of the less stressful days. She was feeling nostalgic now. Perhaps she'd play with the children today?

Platinum blonde hair swayed behind her as she made her way to the little kids. The ground scrunched underneath her feet. She always did love children. They were pure and adorable; who didn't love them? She snickered, alright, maybe not all of them were angels but still!

"Can you play with us, nee-chan?" a kid with brown hair and olive eyes pleaded. She grinned at them all and nodded.

Ino lost herself in the resulting happiness that usually came with dealing with the village children. The cool air hugging them and the afternoon sun watching over them, she felt herself relax.

xxxxx

Lee and Guy were weird, to say the least. That's not what surprised her the most though. Sasuke had activated his Sharingan. When had that happened?

"Woah!" Naruto exclaimed. Woah indeed. The room was packed with Genin.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura practically purred at the Uchiha. Ino nearly threw her out the class.

"Get away from my Sasuke, Forehead girl!" she screamed, back to her fangirl mode.

"Just because he's your teammate doesn't mean he's yours, Ino-pig!" Sakura retaliated. "And, if you must know, Sasuke-kun even went out of his way just to save me from a bunch of Sand-nin!"

"Leave it, Ino," Shikamaru intervened. She huffed at her childhood friend.

"Didn't know you were entering too," Chouji stated, his ever present bag of chips handy. She grinned at him.

"Of course we are!" Naruto gave them a thumbs-up.

"We've been training for this, we definitely won't lose," Kiba announced. She raised a brow. So the whole of Rookie Nine were here.

"We won't lose either!" Sakura said. A fire ignited within her.

Ino was about to respond but she froze when she felt the sinister chakra nearing them. She turned and saw the culprit. It was the same bespectacled guy from last time.

"You're the rookies that just came out of the academy, right?" he grumbled. "Squealing like a bunch of school girls, geez."

He told them to look around. Sure enough, everyone's eyes were on them. Ino glared at each and every one of them too. She wouldn't be intimidated by a bunch of guys! She agreed that they were young but she wouldn't back down now that she was finally here. Yamanaka Ino would not be seen as a pathetic little girl!

She watched as Kabuto befriended her friends. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't trust him," she whispered to Sasuke. He nodded, eyeing the white haired ninja. He could also feel the weird aura the guy seemed to emit.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I won't lose to you losers," Naruto yelled. His outburst was met with killer glares. She promptly smacked the back of his head. What an idiot!

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" she screamed. Now they had everyone as enemies!

She proceeded to scold the blonde, failing to notice the chakra signatures rapidly approaching them. The next thing she knew, Kabuto had thrown up on the floor. Her mind working at a thousand miles per minute, she assessed the Sound nin. They looked really dangerous.

"Settle down, you brats!" Morino Ibiki, top interrogator and torturer of Leaf appeared in a puff of smoke. Behind him were the other examiners.

Ino ground her teeth as she took her seat. Naruto was a few seats away. She sighed. Just their luck that the first part was a written exam. She stared intently at her paper. She had no doubts that Sakura would have no problems answering the questions. Her concern lay with a certain loudmouthed blonde.

"Listen carefully to these rules," Ibiki announced. Ino immediately jumped to attention. The more she heard, the more her grin grew. They were allowed to cheat then. "Begin!"

Ino waited for Sakura to finish her furious scribbling. She didn't even glance at the problems. Ah, the joys of mind jutsu. She could just pop into anyone's mind and go out whenever she wanted. She hid a smirk. All she had to do was to make sure she didn't get caught cheating.

Glancing over at Sasuke's face, she could tell he was having a hard time answering the questions. Curiosity getting the best of her, she read the questions…What the hell was this? She doubted half the people in this room could answer these!

She jumped as a kunai whizzed past Naruto's head. Someone had failed. She couldn't help but feel sorry for them. With a sigh, she stared at a certain kunoichi's head. The girl sure was taking her sweet time.

She felt Sasuke's chakra shift. Snapping her head to him, she saw his red pupils. He'd finally caught on? Really, she expected more from him. She swiveled her head back and resumed her staring.

'About time,' she thought with a huff. Pretending to be sleeping, she aimed at Sakura's head. In an instant, she was in her body. Suppressing a triumphant squeal, she began memorizing the answers. Maybe she'd help Naruto after she answered it?

She returned back to her body and copied the answers down. A few more people were disqualified as she did so. She ground her teeth, hoping that Naruto wouldn't get himself caught.

She was about to possess Naruto when Ibiki spoke again. She stared at her teammate. Guilt engulfed her. If only she had used her jutsu earlier! In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if he did raise his hand. It was then that she came to a decision; she would save him from the embarrassment and do it herself. She was about to raise her own hand up when Naruto finally raised his hand.

Only to smack the table and shout out. "Don't underestimate me!" he bellowed. "I will not run!"

She shook her head. What incredible guts this kid had. "Good decision. I congratulate you on passing this test."

She let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. They passed. They were one step closer to becoming Chuunin now.

xxxxx

Mitarashi Anko was another weird character. She was like a more sadistic version of Naruto. Ino shivered at the thought. No, it was best not to dwell on such things.

"Don't die on me," Shikamaru had warned. She'd responded with a smirk and a curt 'I should be saying that to you.'

The Forest of Death was a creepy place. Gaunt looking trees towered over them, casting shadows all over the forest floor. There was not a single ray of sunshine. Ino instantly disliked it.

Their team stopped for a rest near some trees and bushes to hide. She kicked Naruto away when he started unzipping right in front her. Really, where were his manners? Didn't he know how to be a gentleman? She hid a grimace. She really should have taught her teammates proper manners earlier.

"Man, that felt good," Naruto announced as he zipped his pants back up. She immediately noticed something. This chakra signature wasn't Naruto's. She was about to attack him when Sasuke beat her to it, pointing out the flaws of the henge. The enemy smirked and released the jutsu.

Ino immediately sprung to action. No way was she going to be useless in this fight! She searched for Naruto's familiar chakra and dashed off. Sasuke was trapped by the enemy nin. She threw a kunai in his direction, making the enemy jump away to dodge. Distraction successful! Too bad he got away.

Calming her nerves, she untied Naruto. How had he gotten caught so easily? Seriously! It was just one guy too. The trio went to hide underneath a tree's roots. It was as good a resting place as any, really. It was spacious too, not at all uncomfortable .

"Listen up guys," Sasuke began.

'Taking charge again?' Ino thought with a frown.

"We need a password."

Ino quickly caught on. She wasn't an idiot, she could feel the chakra coming from the bushes. There was no way Naruto would remember such a long thing, especially since it was only repeated once. She praised Sasuke's quick thinking in her mind. Maybe he wasn't that bad of a leader.

That plan was quickly put to the test when more enemy nin came. They got separated with Naruto again. If this Naruto could remember the song then he was a fake.

Sasuke's plan worked.

It was the ninja with the abnormally long tongue. She tried not to think of the repulsive sight she'd witnessed earlier on. She was met with an even more gruesome image when the nin swallowed the Earth scroll. She almost gagged right then and there.

"Let's begin the fight for the scrolls," he drawled. "With our lives."

They both stiffened. This was obviously not an enemy to be trifled with. Fear overwhelmed her senses, disabling her movements. She could barely breathe!

Sasuke shielded her with his body. She felt her eyes water. What was the point of getting himself injured? He shouldn't risk himself for her weakness. Ino jumped away with steely resolve. She was not going to be useless! She silently reached for a kunai and poised herself; ready to strike.

One kunai and the snake was dead. Sasuke stared at her with panicked eyes. He hadn't noticed the snake at all. She offered him a reassuring smile.

"You shouldn't relax so easily," the enemy said, coming out of the snake's skin. How much more disgusting was this going to be?

He climbed tree, his body growing longer, as if he were a real snake. They were _sooooo_ screwed!

"Sorry Sasuke," Naruto said. The snake guy was pinned to the trunk. "I forgot the password."

"Naruto you idiot, you coming here won't do anything!" Sasuke yelled. Ino frowned at his negativity but didn't comment on it. She was thinking along the same lines anyway. This guy was way too good. She didn't think that even Zabuza could match up to his killer intent. There was so much it made her sick.

She held her breath when Sasuke offered the scroll. Really, what choice did they have? There were plenty other chances to get scrolls. They had five days after all.

Of course Naruto wouldn't have any of it. "There's no way a coward like you is the Sasuke I know!" Ouch, that had to hurt.

Ino was shell shocked when Naruto ran headstrong at the weird snake guy. How reckless could he get? She moved to intercept him, to save him from his fate but she was too late. A large snake appeared and Naruto was hit. His chakra was already wavering. Then she felt it, the Nine-Tails' chakra. Her eyes widened as Naruto punched the snake.

The enemy blew some strange powder at Naruto. Was that poison?

"Sasuke!" she yelled. "Snap out of it!"

The snake dived at her unmoving teammate. She cried out; she was too far away from him now! As if by some miracle, Naruto had gotten up and was now preventing the snake from going any further. Tears of relief and anxiety pooled at her eyes.

"You alright…scaredy cat?" Naruto taunted.

The idiot was was raised by the enemy's tongue. This was bad, this was very bad. What the hell was he doing to Naruto's seal? She let out a battle cry, throwing her shuriken at him. He merely deflected those and threw Naruto away. As if…as if he were some kind of trash. Ino saw red. With speed she didn't know she possessed, she caught Naruto mid-fall and glared at the Uchiha.

"Man up and fight!" she growled. Seeing him still, she let out a grunt of frustration. If he wasn't going to fight, she would!

"Mind Disturbance Jutsu!" she cried. She relinquished the satisfying feeling of being able to be of some use. She made the enemy nin strangle himself. She knew how this had to end. It was either him or them. It seemed like it was going to be him until he had somehow regained control of his movements, shutting her out with brutal force. It was enough to have her seeing black spots. She grimaced at Sasuke.

The Uchiha came to life. She smiled as he fought the snake nin then collapsed to her knees, extremely worn.

"My name is Orochimaru. If you want to see me again, then survive and pass this exam."

xxxxx

"Oh, Sasuke," Ino whispered. She shuddered at the dark chakra emanating from the weird seal on his neck. Tears welled up in her eyes. Fatigue was beginning to kick in. She so desperately wanted to sleep. A soft groan escaped her lips. No, she couldn't do that. If she did then there was a good chance all three of them would never wake up again.

She wiped Sasuke's forehead. He was burning hot, almost unbearably so. Whatever that snake guy did, it looked really painful. She glanced at Naruto's sleeping form. What about him? The Nine-Tails' chakra receded when the snake guy touched his seal. Had he resealed it? Her forehead scrunched up in thought. There was so much she had yet to understand. It was frustrating!

"Up all night?" a voice asked. She turned around, dreading the what she saw. It was the three sound nin from earlier! Just her luck.

"Kill her," the leader commanded. She sprung to action. She managed to land a few hits before being bombarded with an ear piercing sound. Her legs gave way.

Just in time, Lee saved her. Ah, she hated this. She promised herself that she wouldn't be weak! She promised herself that she'd be useful! Frustration coursed through her whole body.

"I don't really understand the situation but I will help you," Lee announced, smiling at her. There should be more people like him. "For now, please stay out of my way."

She nodded and backed off. Sasuke's chakra was volatile, almost distracting her from the battle completely. She fought to ignore it and focus on the fight unfolding in front of her very eyes. The feeling of worthlessness was back. She'd been training herself to the bone but it still wasn't enough. Guys like Lee were way above her.

"Lee!" she called as he fell. His ear was bleeding. There was no way he could move after that attack!

She readied herself when the enemy came running towards her. She couldn't use that technique anymore; her chakra was low enough as it is. If she tried it again, she'd probably die from chakra exhaustion. The situation was a lot more dire than she'd originally expected.

Lee blocked the attack intended for her. He was quickly knocked down though. Her heart went out to the poor boy. She clenched her jaw and stopped them from finishing him off. Like hell they'd kill him! She would kill them first. Unmistakable killer intent rolled off of her in waves. She wasn't going to be some useless little damsel in distress! She was Yamanaka Ino for Kami's sake!

Vibrations and air pressure—those were the enemy attacks. How was she supposed to fight against that? She could try to use genjutsu to distract them but that wouldn't last long and she knew it.

She prepared some seals but was stopped dead in her tracks when the female sound nin knocked her over and held a kunai to her throat. She cursed herself for getting caught.

"You have really nice hair and skin," the girl commented. "If you have time to look pretty then train, female swine." That struck a nerve. "Kill thick eyebrows in front of this little bitch." Two nerves, actually. How dare her!

Ino activated the genjutsu. They were trapped in a place with no sound. She smirked at the female sound nin. A simple kunai to the throat wouldn't hurt…

The genjutsu was cancelled as she escaped the girl's grasp. Another successful distraction. She covered a laugh with coughing.

"How dare you mock us!" they snarled at her. Her eyes widened in fear. Oops, perhaps that was a bit stupid.

"Kill her," the leader demanded. The other two grinned at her. Fighting the fear, she took out her kunai. She wasn't going to go down without a fight!

She prepared for another genjutsu, knowing it was her best shot at the moment. Her Mind Body Switch took too much chakra and wasn't going to help her any. Taijutsu wasn't much of a choice either. Activating the illusion, she made them see their own death by her hands. A few seconds, a few seconds had passed yet she was already tired. Where was her stamina when she needed it?

The jutsu broke.

The other two stood, in shock still. Mind tricks always were her favourites. The leader took matters into his own hands and went after her. She prepared another genjutsu. She didn't know how long she could keep this up, her chakra was already dangerously low.

Her genjutsu failed. Her chakra control had chosen that time to fail. Luck really wasn't on her side. She screamed in agony as her eardrum was pierced apart. She willed herself to move. No way in hell would they touch her team. Over her dead body!

Ino stood up and attacked. It was a desperate struggle, one she was losing but she wouldn't give up. She'd rather die than give up! She was mercilessly beaten and thrown against the bark. Her right shoulder was definitely dislocated. With misty eyes, she got back up. She would die before she stopped getting up.

A battle cry escaped her lips as she charged again. She was blown back and cut by an attack. Her vision was riddled with black spots. She was near her limit. The next attack could likely finish her off.

Her salvation came in the form of Team 10. She'd never felt so relieved to see that team in her life.

"I already said I won't lose to you," said Sakura. Ino could only nod.

"You can run away, fatass," the sound nin had already snapped out of it. She grinned as Chouji snapped. Calling him fat was never a good idea. Especially if you said it twice.

Ino flinched. The dark chakra was way too obvious now. She clenched her jaw and scurried over to her team. She trusted the other team to keep them safe. Sasuke was sweating profusely. What was this seal doing to him? It killed her, seeing him like this and knowing she could do nothing about it.

She screamed when a hand clasped her throat so tight she was sure it was bruising. What happened to Team 10? They hadn't died, right? She would forgive them if they ran away, just please, please, please let them be alive.

"You and your idiot friends will die soon," the gruff voice told her. It was all so sickening.

Sasuke's hand shot out, cracking the leader's hand. Ino froze. His arm and half of his face was covered in odd symbols. Just what was that seal?

"Ino…" he said. "Who did that to you?" His eyes slid over to the sound nin. "I'll kill them."

She was barely aware of the wind whipping her face. She was too focused on the growing marks on Sasuke's body. The dark chakra was getting stronger and stronger, nearly crushing her with its intensity. He moved so fast! How was he so much more powerful now?

A sickening snap brought her back to reality. Sasuke had just snapped the enemy's arms. The chakra was becoming too much to bear. She couldn't handle it anymore, she had to make him stop!

"Sto-op!" she rasped. Her throat felt raw. He didn't seem to hear her. Trying to call out to him would be no use. She forced herself to stand, to walk, to touch his shoulders. "Chakra…stop…"

The chakra was too strong, especially from this close. She fainted.

* * *

**EDIT**: 13/4/13


	5. Chapter 5

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him. Undecided pairings.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence

**Disclaimer**: Ino would be a main character.

* * *

_Chapter 5_

Ino awoke amidst a battle. One glance at the sky told her that it was night time. Where was she? She stiffened when she noticed Kabuto. Why was he here?

"Ah, you're awake," he said. "Sorry for a rude awakening but you need to get up."

There was no doubt about it, she was in an illusion. Surrounding all four of them were clones of three different people. The clones had no chakra signatures at all. Heh, they made this all too easy. "You're going to have to protect me while I try to locate the enemy," she said in a low voice. They nodded their understanding.

Naruto used his Shadow Clones to disperse the enemy, distracting them from her and the rest. They quickly hid while Naruto's clones fought. Only, she couldn't detect the real ones at all. She furrowed her eyebrows. What had happened to her sensory abilities?

After a few more grueling hours, the originals finally appeared before them. They wore one-piece suits with snorkel things. She frowned at their fashion sense. Even Naruto had better style than them. What this world really needed was a class on how to dress properly.

They revealed their plan but that quickly backfired. The enemy simply created more clones. She was shocked at how their chakra seemed to disappear completely. How did they do that?

Sasuke activated his Sharingan. She didn't comment on his low chakra reserves, knowing it would be useless. After a few seconds, she felt the same scary chakra emerging once again. Ino held her breath, swaying slightly. Sasuke cried out and vigorously clutched his neck.

"Stop using the the Sharingan," she all but begged. She didn't like this at all. Sasuke was a friend and she hated seeing her friends hurt. "Please…"

Sasuke grunted but released the jutsu. Her previous edginess left. A loud moan had her focusing back on Kabuto and Naruto. The bespectacled nin was down on the ground, hurt quite badly. The enemy was about to strike but something had made him hesitate. That was all Naruto needed and knocked all three out. She cheered.

"The Heaven scroll!" Naruto exclaimed in glee. They had done it; they passed. A sense of overwhelming relief filled her.

The group made quick work of getting to the lofty tower. Half-carrying, half -dragging Sasuke along, they stood in front of the door. Kabuto smiled at them and bid his farewells. She nodded, glad to be rid of the guy's mysterious aura.

"So, this is it, huh?" Ino asked her teammates. They nodded. Together, they pushed the doors open. On the wall was writing that Naruto had trouble understanding.

"A puzzle," Sasuke stated. "I think we should open the scrolls."

Ino nodded and pulled the Heaven scroll out. Naruto grinned and pulled his Earth scroll out as well. Sasuke detached himself from her, pulling a kunai out just in case. Better safe than sorry.

"Alright, let's open them up!" the blonde said.

Inside were seals that seemed vaguely familiar. Where had she seen those before? Her question was answered in the form of a really welcome newcomer.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto greeted.

Their academy teacher grinned at them. "Long time no see."

"Excuse me sensei but what are you doing here?" she asked. His grinned got wider.

"I'm here to greet you of course."

She listened to the conversation with attentiveness. She glanced at Naruto. He'd tried to open the scroll before? She didn't really blame him, she would have let her curiosity get the best of her too. Interested, she listened more carefully. The writing on the wall was some motto by the Hokage. She winced when he mentioned her strength but quickly hid it with a sheepish look. They'd passed and that was all that mattered.

"I'm not a little kid anymore," Naruto said. "I'm a leaf ninja!"

She grinned up at him. Naruto was growing really, really fast and it left her in awe. She giggled at herself. Proud of her teammate, she gave him a pat on the head. "You're finally growing up," she chuckled.

"Hey!" he whined. She and Iruka laughed. Sasuke being Sasuke, merely smirked at them.

They moved on to the next step.

Ino glanced around at the assembled teams. All of the Leaf's rookies were still in the exam. She felt pride swell within her. Maybe she was wrong about the whole too young thing. Besides, Kakashi-sensei knew their skills more than anyone. She really shouldn't have doubted him. Blue met brown as the two silently communicated their relief through their only visible eyes. He looked really bored up there but she knew he was anxious too.

"You will be put on stage for your future employers," the Third explained. Like food on a silver platter. She half-listened to the Hokage's words. She'd already suspected such a thing, really. She and Sasuke had discussed it in the rare moments that he actually felt like starting a proper conversation with her.

She watched with concerned eyes as another ninja came spoke to them. Preliminaries huh? She shrugged. After all they'd been through, she felt confident. She just wasn't so sure about Sasuke's state but she had to trust him.

People who didn't want to participate were told to come forward. Surprisingly, Kabuto forfeited. She narrowed her eyes at him. What was he really?

"Alright, anyone else?" Hayate asked. Like some sort of response, Sasuke groaned in pain. She eyed his neck. She hadn't missed the spikes of dark chakra that would arise out of nowhere. Ino didn't force him to retire though. That decision was Sasuke's alone. They were individuals now but she knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he gave up.

"Maybe you should go," Naruto suggested, unease rolling off of him in waves. Sasuke shot him a glare. "I don't know what's happening but I know you won't be able to fight."

"Shut up," Sasuke growled. "I'm an avenger. I will do whatever it takes to gain the power to destroy that person."

Naruto didn't protest after that. She sighed, stressed. "Um…we will now begin."

Hayate announced. He proceeded to explain the fight mechanics. "There are no rules but we will jump in if it goes too far." With that, the two opponents were announced.

Sasuke walked forward. He stood face-to-face with the guy named Yoroi. She recognized him as the guy in Kabuto's team. Thinking about it, she realized that none of them knew what his abilities were. Raising her hands in silent prayer, she glanced at Sasuke. His chakra was stable at least.

Ino took her seat at the upper level with Kakashi and Naruto. She wondered what Kakashi had told Sasuke before joining them. She shrugged it off. He wasn't likely to tell her a straight answer if she asked him anyway.

The Yamanaka tensed as she watched the battle. Sasuke was in obvious pain and the chakra was back, barely kept under wraps. She frowned into her fist. Beside her, Kakashi was watching with sharp eyes. He would stop the fight if it got out of hand.

Ino began to notice something odd. Sasuke's chakra was rapidly depleting at an unusual rate. Was it the mark's fault or was it because of his opponent? But Sasuke hadn't used any jutsu at all. Fear reigned over her senses. This guy was absorbing Sasuke's chakra.

The enemy had Sasuke trapped beneath him as he fed on the poor kid's chakra. She squirmed in her seat. The seal was getting stronger and stronger and it was making her really queasy. She held her breath. His chakra was dangerously low. What would happen if it was completely depleted? She could only guess and that guess didn't make her feel any better. The mark would take over.

"Is this the best you can do?" Naruto taunted. She chuckled. She knew how boys worked now and understood that this was Naruto's way of encouraging the other boy. While she may not approve of it, she had to admit it was pretty successful at achieving its purpose.

A grin made its way to her lips when she saw Sasuke perform a jutsu very close to Lee's own. His taijutsu was superb, considering his state.

"Fight it, Sasuke!" she yelled when she felt and saw the mark. This was bad, very bad. She gripped the railings with white knuckles. Sasuke could do this, she just had to believe in him. Relief spread through her like wildfire when the ominous chakra receded once again. Sasuke had done it.

She watched, a little more relaxed, as Sasuke finished the enemy nin off with a hard kick. She knew without looking that the guy was dead.

"Uchiha Sasuke has passed the prelims," Hayate announced. She whooped for her teammate. He smirked up at her. Kakashi solidified behind him, orange book in hand, just in time to catch him as he fell. The Lotus was a technique that strained the muscles. It was amazing how he managed to execute it so well after only seeing it once.

Confusion showed itself on her face when Kakashi led Sasuke out. She hoped it was to get the seal under control.

The next fight was Shino and the Sound nin that Sasuke had snapped the arms of. She was slightly peeved by the bugs but she watched on. In silent cheer, she grinned when Shino finally beat his opponent.

She and Naruto jumped when Kakashi materialized behind them. "Hey."

"What do you mean 'hey'! How's Sasuke?" she asked. She caught the look he gave her.

"He's sleeping in a hospital bed," he replied. And in a softer voice meant for only her, he added, "With ANBU protection though."

A guy named Kankuro from Sand and the Sound girl they fought earlier were up next. Kankuro won by substituting himself with his puppet.

Ino and Sakura were to fight next. Nerves almost hindered her movements but she quickly shook that away, opting for a more confident walk. She smirked at Sakura, silently taunting her. The girl promptly responded with a glare.

"I'm stronger than you are," Sakura said. "There's no way I'd lose against someone so weak."

Ah, that hit a spot. A very sore spot. "Who do you think you're talking to, cry baby?" she snarled. Weak, huh? She'll show her!

They tied their forehead protectors around their heads. Sakura wanted to go all out? She'll give her that and more.

The fight started out with a simple clone jutsu. Ino back-flipped backwards when she felt chakra move down to the other girl's feet. Heh, did she really think she was that weak? Ino pulled out a kunai. Using genjutsu to distract the girl, she threw her kunai at the other girl. It was deflected. Ino rose a brow at the girl's fast recovery but got over it. Now was not the time to marvel about such things. Now was the time to fight.

The battle dragged on. She was unaware of just how much time had passed but she knew it was long. She and Sakura were even at the moment. She had to change that, and soon.

"All you care about is looks, Ino," Sakura said. "That's why I'm better than you are."

Ino couldn't help it, she laughed. Did Sakura really think that she was better just because she had cut her hair at some point during the Chuunin Exam? The insinuation was saddening. Ino trained harder than even Sasuke, she was not the same girl. No longer did she care if her nails got ruined; no longer did she care if her hair was slightly mussed; and she definitely didn't care if she didn't look perfect. Such things were still important but she knew what to prioritize.

"What are you laughing about?" Sakura growled. Ino shook her head.

"Nothing," she dismissed. She grinned at the girl and formed her seals. Sakura's eyes widened in realization.

"That won't work."

"Wanna see?"

Ino was hurt. Did Sakura really think that low of her? She didn't graduate as top kunoichi for nothing! Changing the seals quickly at the end, she took control of Sakura's limbs. With a triumphant grin, she made the girl hold a kunai to her throat.

"Forfeit," she demanded. Sakura wavered, fear clouding her eyes. "Forfeit," she repeated. The kunai was now piercing the girl's skin and drawing blood.

"I…I forfeit," the girl said. Hayate nodded.

"The winner is Yamanaka Ino," he announced.

Ino released the jutsu with a sigh. She fell to her knees. That was a stupid move, she knew, but she needed to prove something here! Kakashi pat her head, much like she did Naruto. She grinned up at him.

"You did well," he praised. Her grin grew wider, eyes alight with happiness. The medic nin healed her cuts and bruises then had her go up to the upper levels.

"That was really cool, Ino-chan," Naruto exclaimed. "But I don't get why you didn't do it earlier."

She eyed him. "It's not a technique I can rely on," she explained. "It drains a lot of chakra so I only use it when I'm sure it will end the battle."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "So that's why you barely use it," he observed.

"I need to talk to you later," Kakashi whispered to her. She nodded, she knew what this was about.

The next winners were Temari, the leader of the Sound nin, Shikamaru, Neji, Gaara of the Sand and Naruto. She cheered the loudest when Naruto won by using taijutsu that greatly resembled Sasuke's. The conclusion had been the worst part though. Lee may never be able to become a shinobi ever again.

With such a heavy news hanging in the air, the trio could not find it in themselves to celebrate. Ino sniffed. A flower arrangement would be a suitable thank you gift, she decided.

Kakashi disappeared soon afterwards, leaving her alone with a strangely silent Naruto. A glance at him told her that the boy was in deep thought. She smiled at him, "Well, see you then!" she said and leapt away.

She was fighting against Dosu, the leader of the Sound nin they'd encountered. Ah, that was troublesome. More training was obviously in order. At least she didn't have Hyuuga Neji. Confident as she was, she was still a little bit of a coward. Especially against geniuses that were able to destroy someone both physically and mentally.

Ino knew what she lacked. She was proficient at a lot of things but she really lacked the strength for a few things. But, with her plan, she knew just how to work around such a thing. Though it may not prove to be a very exciting battle, she knew the TI department would at least take note. And really, that was all she wanted.

* * *

**A/N**: A poll has been posted on my profile. Vote for your favourite pairing!

Reviews are appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him. Undecided pairings.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence

**Disclaimer**: So much more Ino in every chapter.

* * *

_Chapter 6_

Ino gathered her poisonous plants in a pouch, ready for use. She wished she could get more lethal ones but those were only found outside the village bounds. A thought popped in her mind. If she were to mix certain types of poison to create a new one with no antidote…she grinned in triumph. Sakura wasn't the only smart one.

Lately, she'd been visiting Sasuke, Naruto and Lee lately. They were all hard at work; one was with Kakashi, another with a perverted old man and Lee…Lee was always doing push-ups in the Hospital courtyard. She knew how much it hurt for him so she simply smiled and offered him her company. She would cry a little afterwards.

Ino really wished she had someone training her though. At first, her dad had been helping her but he'd suddenly been called for an important mission to Sand. Kakashi had offered to train her alongside Sasuke but she'd politely declined. She'd rather Sasuke become a Chuunin than her. Besides, she knew what Kakashi was really doing. He was training Sasuke so the seal wouldn't react so badly with his body.

The flower girl strolled through the dark forest, searching for more poisonous plants. This wasn't the only reason for her visit though. She'd come for the animals, too; they were the perfect guinea pigs. She'd long gotten over the initial guilt of practicing such genjutsu on innocent animals. With no one to practice her genjutsu on, she'd had to make do.

Ino spotted a boar ahead. She prepared the hand signs and focused. The genjutsu activated and the boar was hit with several traumatizing images. It was then swiftly hit with a kunai in a vital spot, effectively killing it. She supposed she could do with using an illusion of paradise for the poor animals but such things wouldn't ensnare a ninja, no, it would only alert them of the illusion. Ino looked for her next target, most preferably an owl.

"Stop torturing the poor things," a woman chastised. Ino froze. "Makes me want to do it too."

That comment was so off-handedly said it surprised her. Ino turned around and was faced with a weird person who looked to be around Kakashi's age. Her strange mismatched eyes of red and blue held a manic gleam to them and she had auburn hair that looked like a halo of wildfire. Ino held her breath, terrified. The woman looked really bloodthirsty.

"Name's Misaki," she introduced. "You're Inoichi's kid, aren't you?" Ino could only nod. "Tell you what, kid, if you can get that jutsu to work on me then maybe I'll consider training you."

"Train me?" she dumbly asked. Her mind wasn't paying attention to the words so much as the actions. She could see the signs of a person itching to kill right in front of her.

"You're in the Chuunin Exams, right? I'll bet Kakashi's training that Uchiha kid," she said. Ino nodded. "So? What are you waiting for? Hit me."

Ino sucked in a breath. She wasn't really sure of this idea but hey, it was worth a shot. She prepared the seals and locked on to her target. In this case, Misaki. They entered a world filled with gore and traumatizing pain. Misaki looked completely unfazed by it all and Ino admired her for it. Feeling her control slipping away, she released the jutsu. Either this woman was really sick or she was used to seeing so much gore.

"Good but not good enough," said Misaki. "I suggest you learn how to use one-handed signs."

One-handed signs…hadn't Haku done those? It looked really complicated. She was about to voice this when Misaki interrupted her. "I know what you're thinking, kid, but it really isn't all that hard. If you have enough dedication, then you can do it. You do want to win, right?"

"Of course I do!" Ino said. "I don't want to look like another weakling."

"Thought so," Misaki stared at her with contempt. "You can use that small form of yours to move quickly. Treat it as a blessing, not a curse." Ino absorbed all of this. "Improve your stamina and speed then come back to me."

"Where do I find you?" she asked.

Misaki smirked. "Where do you think?"

Ino knew that smirk. It was a sadistic smirk that only a professional torturer or interrogator could achieve. Shivers ran down her spine. This person was a member of the TI department and she was going to train her. Excitement bubbled within her.

"Keep doing whatever you're doing with the flowers though."

When Ino looked back to where Misaki was, she was gone. Ino frowned but shrugged it off. She had someone who was willing to train her! Ino grinned and dashed out of the forest. The warm afternoon sun shone brightly, reflecting her mood to the letter. She laughed.

* * *

Ino sighed. The training Misaki had been forcing her to do was grueling work. She had to run around the huge ass village with heavy ass weights. Her objective was to go around as many times as possible with the aid of her chakra. Too much chakra and she'd be unable to move, too little and she'd be unable to move. Precise chakra control was needed and it was the perfect way to develop both her speed and stamina too. She had to hand it to the sadist, she was a pretty good teacher.

The kunoichi removed the weights strapped around her legs. They looked a lot like Lee's but she bet hers were lighter. Lee's had broken the floor from the sheer weight. She smiled.

"You should visit your friends," Misaki suggested. Ino nodded as she stretched. Misaki always had a knack for wearing black clothing. It made her look all the more daunting. She probably didn't have a boyfriend. Ino giggled to herself.

"See ya!"

Ino stopped by her house to pick up a fruits basket for Chouji and flowers for Lee. Chouji had over eaten and had a horrible stomach ache. She smiled fondly at her childhood friend's predictability. But she knew why he had done it. Chouji ate a lot more than usual if he was nervous. He was nervous for them, she knew.

Leaf Hospital was just as she remembered it. She was becoming a regular here and had already memorized most parts of the sterile place. The walls were bare and bland, the hallways clean and devoid of any life. What this place really needed was plants, lots and lots of plants. Perhaps she could make a donation?

She entered Chouji's room first. The nurse had said that Lee was asleep and wouldn't be much company for a while. Besides, the fruits basket was much heavier than the flowers so she didn't really mind.

Chouji was propped up on his bed. She popped in, making sure to show him the fruits basket first. She heard him grumble something. "Stop teasing me, Shikamaru," he said. She laughed and finally emerged. Chouji's grin was enough to light all of Konoha. From his smug look, she knew he'd just won a bet with someone. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Yes, now that you're here," he said, eyeing the fruits. She knew he couldn't eat them. Those were for her. Hey, she was hungry after all that running around!

"Good," she said. She plucked an apple from the arrangement and began peeling it. She made sure to do it as excruciatingly slow as possible, just to rile her best friend up. Chouji made a face that she ignored.

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Naruto's been in here for three days," he informed. Naruto was here? Ino's eyes widened. Why hadn't anyone told her? She hastily gathered her stuff and headed over to the Reception.

From there, she was directed to Room 215. Inside was an empty bed. She sighed to herself. She left the fruits basket and a note scolding the boy for getting her so worried and saying sorry for not visiting earlier. She left for Lee's room next.

Lee was only a couple of turns away and soon she was at the door. She felt a number of people inside. One of them was the bloodthirsty Gaara of the Sand. She froze when he opened the door. They stood there, eyeing each other for a while before he left without a word. She glanced at the others inside the room. They looked pretty solemn too.

"What just happened?"

Gaara had tried to kill Lee. She'd never felt as much relief as she was feeling at that moment. If Naruto and Shikamaru had been a moment too late…would she have been standing in front of a dead Lee?

* * *

"This is your big day, kid," Misaki said, red hair fluttering wildly in the wind. "Don't screw it up."

"Thanks for the encouragement," she sarcastically replied with a roll of her eyes. Misaki grinned at her and disappeared in a puff of smoke. She exhaled, overcome by nerves.

The arena was filled to the brim with ninja and normal folk from all over the world. It made her feel a lot more nervous but she tried no to show it. The cheers of the crowd nearly deafened her when they were announced.

"In this tournament, you guys are the stars," the new examiner, Genma, said. She snorted. Of course she was! She was Yamanaka Ino, number one kunoichi of her year!

Naruto was up first. She knew the boy was pumped about getting to kick Hyuuga Neji's ass but she also knew that he was nervous. She gave him a comforting pat on the head when she passed. He sent her a grin that she promptly returned. She didn't doubt that he would win this fight. He'd sworn and he never went back on his word. That's what made him Naruto after all.

The fight was as annoying as the fight with the two Hyuuga's. That white-eyed creep really grated on her nerves. All she wanted to do was teach him some manners and beat him to a pulp. Destiny…there was no such thing. While everyone was born to die, it didn't mean that their whole life was planned out the moment they were introduced to the world. Naruto had better teach this guy a lesson.

Ino smiled as Naruto cleverly tricked Neji into thinking a clone was the original. Maybe that pervy old sage actually taught him something. She snorted—yeah, right!

A massive burst of chakra had her sitting at the edge of her seat. What was Neji intending to do? Her question was answered when he spun and deflected Naruto right off with chakra. Then he did something even more astounding. He moved so fast she could barely follow.

Naruto was left on the hard ground. Ino willed him to stand up. He'd sworn, damn it! She let out a whoop of joy when the loud mouth finally did stand. He was unstable on his feet and bloody but he was up and that was enough hope for her.

"I hate shitty people like you who call people losers!" he exclaimed.

Then Neji surprised them all again by recounting the sad tale of the Hyuuga twins. One born first, the other second, destiny at play, he said.

"Your destiny was sealed the moment I became your opponent," he said.

With that, Naruto was struck back again. The examiner was about to call it off when Naruto, brave, strong, Naruto, got back up. The fight was decided when Neji started spouting stuff about burdens. She knew Naruto had probably had the worst childhood compared to anyone here. Even Neji's wasn't that sad compared to Naruto's. Heh, he wouldn't know what hit him.

She shouted in triumph when she felt Naruto's chakra flowing, even stronger than before. Her eyes widened at the realization. Naruto was using the Nine-Tails' chakra! Her mind whirring at a thousand miles per second, she fought to understand how he was doing so. Usually it only came out when he was in a life or death situation. Was it because he didn't have his normal chakra at his disposal? Or had that weird old man actually taught him something after all?

"Here I come!" Naruto growled.

Ino watched, proud as a mother, as Naruto fought on par with Neji. Naruto sure did grow. She grinned, squeezing Shikamaru's arm as excitement coursed through her very being.

'Yeah! Kick his ass, Naruto!' she thought in silent cheer.

She grinned even wider when she felt her teammate's chakra underneath the ground. The Hyuuga was an idiot for falling for such a trick. She manically laughed as Neji was belted backwards. She covered her mouth with both hands as Shikamaru shot her a perturbed look. Even that Gaara kid looked disturbed. Oops, maybe she shouldn't have spent so much time with her sadistic sensei.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!"

She definitely cheered the loudest.


	7. Chapter 7

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence, gore

**Disclaimer**: I wouldn't be writing this if I were Kishimoto.

* * *

_Chapter 7_

"This so isn't fair," Shikamaru grumbled as the announcements were made. His fight had been pushed forward twice. Why did this have to happen to him? All he wanted to do was laze around cloud watching all day, not this. He grumbled some more, not making a move to get down.

Ino snickered at her best friend. She carefully snuck up behind him and pushed. The poor kid fell flat on his back. She laughed at his annoyed expression before trying, and failing, to stifle it. He shot her a glare.

"I don't lose to girls," he said. She snorted. The damn sexist.

She watched with half a mind. Shikamaru would win, she knew. Even if he did give up, he would definitely become a Chuunin. Now, what exactly was on her mind? The blonde thought to the last few days of training. She smiled as she remembered. Oh, how fun it was.

She remembered Sasuke's surprised look when she'd gone to visit him in the Uchiha compound. The desolate place was spooky but she didn't let it get to her. In fact, it only steeled her resolve.

"Ino?" he had said, shock evident in everything he did. She'd grinned and waved. He took that as a bad sign and had frowned at her instantly. Thinking back, she had to commend his insight.

"Let's go out!" she'd declared. Sasuke, being the recluse that he was, had less than politely declined her offer. But the thing was, Ino wasn't really asking. She took control of his body, carried hers and brought them over to the forest. The Uchiha had tried more than once to get his body back but Ino was determined. A determined Ino meant nothing could possibly stand in her way. She finally left his body when they reached a spot near an old, dying tree.

"You better have a good reason for bringing me here," was his cutting statement the moment he was free of the jutsu. She had replied with a cheeky grin.

"No one else wanted to go stargazing with me tonight," she admitted after a while. He shot her an annoyed look that would forever be dubbed the Glare of Death.

"So you kidnap me instead?"

"You're the one who needs it the most."

"And how would you know that?"

"I'm not blind! Your chakra's exhausted and your reaction times are slower too!"

"My health is none of your business."

"Yes it is!"

"No, it's not."

"I'm your teammate! Of course I'd worry."

"If you have time to worry about others, worry about yourself. Have you seen yourself compared to even Naruto? You're below him."

"Well pardon me for trying to look after you!"

She didn't know how it got so out of hand. But really, people like her and him never really mixed well together. She had stomped away, tears in her eyes. She just wanted to help him relax! The nerve of some people these days.

"He'll definitely win," Naruto interrupted. Ino snapped back to the present. Shikamaru was backed into the wall in his signature thinking stance. She smiled and nodded, in complete agreement. Shikamaru was a genius with an IQ of over 200, there was no way he'd be outsmarted by that Sand girl.

Ino was blinded by the vision that attacked her senses.

The wind was cool against her skin. Ino sighed as she walked back home. Her idea was a bust. Not only did she fail to help Sasuke, she'd gotten herself stressed out too. She glared at the pebbles littering Leaf's empty streets. Stupid Sasuke and his stupid stubbornness.

"Wait, Ino," Sasuke's voice called. She frowned, not stopping. Now he wanted to talk? No, thanks! "Ino!"

His voice held silent pleading in it and that alone made her stop in her tracks. Uchiha Sasuke never begged. She spun around, only to be met with deep onyx orbs merely inches away from her own. They were so deep, so full of hatred and vengeance, but today they held none of those; today they held something else entirely. If only she could figure out what it was.

"I'm…" he hesitated. "I'm sorry."

Ino's eyes widened in shock. Sasuke was saying sorry? This was way too good to simply accept. A little teasing was in order.

"I'm sorry?" she demanded. "That's all you have to say?"

He gaped at her and she relished the feeling of triumph at eliciting such an expression from his handsome face. "What else am I supposed to say?" he asked.

"Repeat after me," she said with a stern look. "Ino, I'm really sorry for hurting your feelings—"

"Sorry for hurting your feelings—" he sighed.

"—you're awesome and I was being a total jackass."

"I'm not saying that," he growled. She laughed at him, showing she was only kidding.

"It was worth a shot," she admitted. He smirked and she felt her cheeks flush. Ah, the boy in front of her wasn't the only one acting weird tonight. "I know," she brightened. "You can make up for it by going stargazing with me!"

Ino dragged her teammate to a high roof. He'd begrudgingly followed her. She didn't mind that he didn't look very excited, the fact that he even let her bring him here was enough for her. They lay next to each other, and stared at the sky.

The stars shone brightly, twinkling with a majestic beauty. They were weird things, stars. They could already be gone but the people on Earth wouldn't know for a few million years. Maybe that's what made them so appealing. They could be gone but to others, they'd still be shining just as bright. A smile found its way to her lips. Since when had she been so philosophical?

"There's supposed to be a meteor shower today," she informed. Her companion hummed in response. She turned her head to look at him. What she saw made her smile widen. He had his eyes closed, face relaxed. He looked so much better without the permanent glare and furrowed eyebrows. She was certain that if he hadn't been so cold and mean then she'd have fallen for him.

"What?" he asked, sensing her stare.

"Nothing," she said. "Just thinking about how you look so much better when you're like this."

He gave a 'hn' before opening his eyes and facing her. She frowned at his lack of response. She'd just complimented him! Kami knows she doesn't do that very often. "Frowning doesn't suit you."

She got the hidden message and grinned. "Maybe you're not so bad, Uchiha," she said.

He smirked. "You're not so bad yourself, Yamanaka."

She didn't know why she did it, she just did. She kissed his cheek—well, tried to—but ended up kissing his lips instead. They stayed frozen like that before breaking apart, faces crimson.

"S-Sorry," she winced. She cleared her throat and tried to compose her features. This just got way awkward.

"It's nothing," he replied. It was an odd reply. 'It's nothing?' It made it sound like she was thanking him instead of apologizing. She raised a brow at his direction, one he quickly returned.

"So…"

"Hn."

She burst out laughing. Even he had a smile on his face. It was a genuine smile, not the usual smirk. She decided she liked this Sasuke better. She voiced this and he snorted.

"You better relish it because I'm not doing this again," he said. She was about to ask what he meant when his lips came crashing down on hers. Ino could literally see stars.

Behind them, the meteor shower lit the night sky. It was beautiful.

Ino smiled, touching her lips. Sasuke had walked her home after that. Surprisingly, they actually had a pleasant conversation. Yep, she definitely liked that Sasuke more.

"Winner, Temari," Genma announced. Ino still cheered for the Nara. He'd done well, considering how lazy he was.

"Why'd he give up?" Naruto yelled. "I'm gonna go give him a lecture."

Ino snorted and caught the back of his orange shirt. She smiled at him and told him to stay put. He huffed but stayed put. Then, realization hit them both. "You're up, Ino-chan," he said with a grin.

She returned it. "Guess so."

Nerves shot up within her once again. She fought the squeamish feeling trying to overwhelm her senses. No way would she look like a bundle of nerves down there; she was Yamanaka Ino!

Ino made her way down to the field. Her opponent, Dosu, was already there. He looked a little worse for wear but she knew better than to judge on appearances alone. Doing just that had led to many deaths and she didn't want to be added to that list.

"Begin," said Genma.

Ino quickly leapt back, assessing the situation properly. Dosu smirked and pelted her with his jutsu straight off the bat. Last she remembered, he was short-ranged! What happened? She clenched her jaw. Of course the others would improve too. She wasn't the only training after all.

Another attack had her screaming in pain. Luckily, he hadn't blasted her eardrum completely. She would feel a little deaf in that ear but it wasn't permanent. She charged, throwing poison-laced kunai at him. He merely used his sound waves to deflect them. This guy was going to be troublesome, she knew.

She had to get him by surprise if she wanted her plan to work. She ran through several scenarios in her mind before standing right before him. He looked shocked enough not to attack straight away. She could go in with her genjutsu now and pelt him with her numerous poisons. She nodded to herself, preparing the one-handed seals that Misaki had taught her to do. She smiled at her opponent's shock before activating the genjutsu. Meanwhile, her other hand pulled out several flowers. They were sharp and stiff enough to penetrate but flimsy enough to wiggle in deeper. She threw them at her paralyzed enemy. They weren't really necessary but were simply there for precautions. If he somehow recovered quickly after the genjutsu, then she'd have to slow him down for another. The poison did that for her without her wasting any more chakra than she needed to.

If asked, Dosu would describe his vision as extreme excruciating pain that he'd rather die than to feel again. He was in a room devoid of sound, a complete vacuum. He didn't know how he was still breathing. Perhaps it was the girl's jutsu? That wasn't what made this horrible though. He was being crucified with stakes as large as his head. He screamed when the last stake impaled his head.

The blonde watched with half-lidded eyes as Dosu let out a chilling scream. She still found it disturbing but she was slightly used to it now. Animals made a sound akin to the one she was currently hearing after all. Deciding to take pity on the guy, she released the genjutsu.

"I'll be stopping the fight here," Genma announced. Dosu fell to his knees, still screaming from the trauma and poison coursing through his veins. "Winner, Yamanaka Ino."

There was dead silence when Dosu was rushed to the medical ward by the white suited medics. No one had expected the kind, caring and bubbly Ino to turn into some sadistic person. Even Shikamaru looked really confused.

Ino shrugged, not really caring. She would get into TI no matter what. It had always been her dream to work alongside her father or Morino Ibiki. She'd never tell anyone but she idolized the scarred man. Well, maybe she'd tell Misaki.

Speaking of Misaki, she was currently waiting for her. Ino grinned and waved at her sensei. The redhead promptly returned the gesture. Ino saw something very close to pride in her eyes.

"Good job, kid," she praised.

Ino smirked. "Glad to see all that training payed off," she said. Misaki laughed.

"Never doubt a genius," the twenty-something year old winked before disappearing again.

Ino, used to it, simply left to stand next to a strangely quiet Naruto.

"Ino-chan…" he began. "That was the coolest thing ever!"

She chuckled at her teammate. Trust Naruto to find something like that cool. She smiled fondly. Ino had been seeing him in a new light ever since she became his teammate. He was like a brother to her, right next to Shikamaru and Chouji.

"Sasuke's next," she said. Naruto nodded, fire in his eyes.

"Yeah."


	8. Chapter 8

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him. Undecided pairings.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence

**Disclaimer**: Ino would be a main character.

* * *

_Chapter 8_

"Sorry we're late," Kakashi said. Sasuke stood behind him, seriousness all over his face. Ino felt her stomach drop at his voice. Had it always been that low? She looked more closely at him. His hair had grown and he looked like he'd grown a few inches. His old clothes were discarded and replaced by a more mature looking black attire.

"Your name?" Genma asked with a smirk.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he replied.

"See?" she heard Gaara say. "He came."

The crowd was buzzing with excitement. She couldn't blame them; she was looking forward to this too. Ino felt a shift in the air around the Kage's station. She gazed up and saw the Kazekage. He was a daunting person that she couldn't keep her eyes on. She looked away, uneasy.

The killer intent from both Genin was amazing. She was certain even the normal folk could feel it.

"Care to fill me in, guys?" Kakashi asked. She opened her mouth to reply but Misaki beat her to it.

"The little squirt won," she supplied, gesturing at Naruto. Naruto visibly bristled. She giggled at her teammate, telling him not to piss the other Jounin off. "And this kid won too."

Kakashi looked pleasantly surprised. Ino rolled her eyes at him. Did he really think they'd lose? Or was it Misaki's presence that shocked him? Ino glanced between the two. There was an odd atmosphere between them. Her eyes widened in realization. Could it be?

"Ah, Hinamori-san, we meet again," Kakashi said. He was greeted with a smirk. The two Jounin disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a very confused Ino. Why did he call her by her last name?

"I'm sorry…mother," Gaara murmured. Ino's eyes widened. Mother?

Sasuke threw shuriken at Gaara, only to be stopped by a shield of sand. The shield suddenly molded into a clone; it quickly shot sand out of its stomach. She imagined it to be blood. She scolded herself for conjuring such a gruesome image. Maybe Misaki's presence had more of an effect on her than she previously thought.

She watched as Sasuke forced his way through the clone. He attacked, only to feint and appear behind Gaara. Ino had seen this in action many times throughout his training. She felt pride swell in her once again. Sasuke hit Gaara with a taijutsu that looked very similar to Lee's.

"So that's the armor of sand, huh?" he taunted. "Come on."

Everyone in the arena was visibly surprised at the Uchiha's speed. At this rate, he was probably very close to reaching Lee's speed. Gaara was once again knocked back by a kick. The sand was way too slow for speeds this fast.

Gaara seemed to recoil. He built up a ball of Sand around him—one which Sasuke hastily tried to punch. Ino gasped. That was way too close. Spikes protruded from the ball, stopping merely inches away from the Uchiha. Blood dripped and it made her queasy. Sasuke could do it, right? Suddenly, she wasn't so sure anymore. This was the kid who was said to come home from each mission unscathed. She frowned—would Sasuke be good enough to fight him?

"He can do it," Naruto said, brimming with confidence. "He'll definitely win."

Ino smiled. Doubting her teammates always did backfire on her. Her smile turned into a full grin when she remembered the days when they were doing the easy mission. They always managed to surprise her.

"Kakashi!" Shikamaru yelled. Ino jumped. She'd almost forgotten about him. "Stop this fight. That kid…he's not normal."

Ino had to agree but she knew Sasuke would never forgive them for it. "Don't worry," Kakashi said. "We weren't late for nothing."

Sasuke leapt back onto the wall. He formed some seals that she didn't know existed and readied himself. Lightning crackled around his hand. Ino's eyes widened. It looked a lot like Kakashi's technique back then. She gasped. That must be why he trained Sasuke. They had the same elemental affinity.

She whooped when the jutsu pierced through the sand. Hah, take that 'absolute defense!' Gaara's chilling wail filled the silence.

"My blood! My blood!" he shrieked. Ino gagged. He sounded like a girl, really. Sasuke grunted, using Chidori to escape from the ball just as a monstrous arm shot out. The sight gave her the chills.

Gaara emerged, shoulder bleeding. A sinister chakra, much like Naruto's, made itself known to her. Her body shook from it so much that she could barely stand. She gasped when a hand found its way to her shoulder. She looked up to see Misaki. She had an indiscernible look in her eyes. Could she feel it too?

Ino stood on alert when she felt and saw the genjutsu. She instantly released it. No doubt about it, this was Kabuto's doing. How could she miss him? She wildly looked around. Where was he?

"I'll deal with him," Misaki assured. Ino nodded in compliance.

An explosion from the Kage's box caught all attention. Ino ground her teeth. She hastily woke Naruto from his sleep. The blonde snapped to attention at once. He wiped the dribble off his chin and immediately went to Kakashi. Ino followed suit.

They helped fight off the Sound nin that came to attack Sakura. Poor girl looked traumatized. "Ino, Naruto, come with me," Kakashi ordered. They nodded.

The trio worked together to thin the enemy lines. Ino couldn't help but notice her sensei's distraction. She frowned at him. What could possibly be more important than protecting the civilians?

"Listen you two," he started. He began to explain the mission details. An A-ranked mission… Naruto whooped. She rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm. Trust him to be excited about a potentially deadly mission.

They went to wake Shikamaru up with Pakkun. She sweatdropped at what she saw. The lazy ass wasn't even under the genjutsu anymore! She promptly smacked his arm. "You lazy ass! You were awake this whole time!"

"I didn't want to be attacked. Besides, I refuse to go after Sasuke," said Shikamaru.

A Sound nin was blasted through the wall by Gai, creating a rather large hole. Kakashi reinstated the mission for Shikamaru's sake. Said boy sighed in defeat. He knew better than to defy authority.

They followed Pakkun through the dense forest. She held back the urge to giggle every time he stuck his tongue out. They rushed through the trees, making sure to be as silent and quick as possible. Ino thanked Kami for the intense training she had. If she hadn't done that, would she be lagging behind? She probably would have.

"Hey guys, hurry up, we're being chased!" Pakkun said. Ino nodded, bolting ahead of the group. Pakkun chuckled. Naruto and Shikamaru fought to keep up, amazed by her sudden boost in speed. She wasn't even powering her steps with chakra!

"Since when did you get so fast?" Shikamaru asked with an accusatory tone. She rolled her eyes at him.

"I train too, you know!" she huffed.

"We're still to slow!" Pakkun growled. Ino tensed. How fast were these guys? Sure she was fast but she wasn't as fast as Sasuke or Lee. We're their pursuers at that level too?

"We need a diversion," Shikamaru suggested. She was quick to agree. Shikamaru might piss her off sometimes but she had to admit that when it came to battle tactics, he was the best out of all of them. In fact, she admired the way he could stay so calm and aloof in a battle. "The one who stays behind will most likely die," Shikamaru continued. Ino gulped.

"Die?" Naruto asked, voice wavering. Shikamaru nodded.

"The dog's necessary in tracking down Sasuke," he said. "In which case, I'm the only one who can do it."

Ino sighed. She knew it would come to this. "Don't die on me," she warned. He smirked at her.

"I should be telling you that," he replied. They shared a secret smile before Ino moved to join the others.

She had faith in him. He wouldn't die, that was too troublesome. If anything, he'd rather do something interesting with his life first then die of a normal cause. That was his dream after all.

Pakkun was on edge. The enemy was still careening towards them with great speed. She stared ahead, knowing not to doubt her friend. He would do it, she knew. A few minutes passed before the enemy seemed to stop completely. She exhaled. Shikamaru had better live after this.

They sped up. She pulled Naruto along as she and Pakkun used chakra to increase their speed even further. He seemed to be struggling on his feet, barely able to catch his footing. Ino knew she couldn't carry him all the way. There was no use. He just had to try not to trip.

They stopped when they saw two shinobi. One was covered in insects, the other slumped against the tree bark. She could see the veins on his neck inflame. Poison!

"You guys go ahead," she said. "I'll take care of this."

Pakkun and Naruto disappeared in an instant. She glanced at the scene before her and heaved a big sigh. She walked over to Kankuro. "Give me the antidote," she demanded. He laughed.

"What makes you think I'll do that?" he asked. She felt her right eye twitch.

"Would you like to know why that Sound kid had to be rushed to the mental ward?" she whispered. His eyes widened in fear. Ah, mind tricks.

He took out a vial and handed it to her. "He-Here. Just don't…" the bugs silenced him.

Ino inspected the vial. It definitely wasn't an antidote. She growled, thoroughly pissed. The insects retreated back to their master's body. She watched them go. Perhaps they would be able to heal him? She let out a frustrated moan. If only she knew what type of poison he used…

The blonde approached the bespectacled nin. He was unconscious and his veins were getting more and more inflamed. She had no choice but to bring him back. She slumped him over her shoulder. For someone who was supposed to be dead weight, he was surprisingly light. She grinned. Using chakra aided steps, she was able to get halfway across the forest.

* * *

She felt the enormous amount of chakra reverberating throughout the whole forest. She knew one of them was Sasuke. He always did such incredible things that made her and Naruto envious. She snorted to herself. Like hell they'd stay like that. She and Naruto would definitely catch up to him. They were no geniuses but they were determined. Sometimes all it takes is a little determination after all.

Sasuke…why was he using the mark? Hadn't Kakashi sealed it? What made it activate? All of these made Ino move with a speed she didn't know she had, even after the training.

Ino arrived just as Gaara was about to strike Sasuke. She screamed at him to leave him be and hastily made her way to the Uchiha's limp body. She knew he was hurting and it hurt her too.

"Out of the way!" Gaara growled but she stood her ground. Her vision became a myriad of dots and explosions and her whole body hurt from the impact. Gaara had hit her and was pinning her against a tree. Needless to say, she couldn't get free.

Her breath was coming in shallow intakes. The hand encasing her was getting tighter and tighter. It was as if she was being crushed between two stone walls. She gasped, trying to breath properly. How stupid was she, standing in front of an enraged monster? And a monster he was. Hard of Gaara's face had morphed into a demonic looking thing and he had even grown a tail.

She heard talking but she couldn't understand any of it. What were they talking about? Was it about Sasuke? It was! She struggled as much as she could against her restrains. It proved fruitless as it only caused her to pass out.

* * *

He hated to admit it but that Naruto truly was something. He caught the boy mid flight and landed against the tree bark. He looked over at the trapped blonde kunoichi a few trees away. He felt something inside him churn when he said the words. "Save…Save Ino no matter what," he ordered. He continued with a more solemn voice. "Never again will I stand by and watch as those dear to me die."

He was shocked when Naruto spouted what he did. True strength doesn't come from solitude, huh? He guessed he was right. He still found a way to get back up, not because of Itachi, but because of his comrades. And…Ino was something he knew he couldn't live without. The girl had somehow planted herself into his life without knowing it. He allowed himself a small smile.

He remembered it all too well…

Sasuke walked down the deserted streets of Leaf. No one would be out at such a late time, he knew. He glared at nothing, letting the day's frustrations seep out. Imagine his surprise when a certain ten year old girl came crashing into him. They both fell in a heap on the hard ground. He soon realized that the girl was sobbing and clutching a particular red ribbon.

"It's all your fault," she murmured into his chest. He furrowed his brows. What was his fault? "It's all because of you that we're not friends anymore." He had done that? No, there was no way. He'd never seen this girl before.

Rich, blue eyes peered into his own. He sucked in a breath. Her eyes that he was sure were once so full of innocence and joy looked dead and loathing burned within them freely. He wondered what had happened to make her look so depressed. It was then he recognized her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and the familiar clip in her bangs. This was Yamanaka Ino, heiress to the Yamanaka clan.

He remembered the Yamanaka clan from his studies with the Uchiha tutors. They were not a clan to be trifled with for they had strong connections with the Nara and Akamichi clans, both of which were pretty influential. Not that the Yamanaka clan wasn't influential itself. The clan prided itself in the arts of assassinations and espionage. In fact, most of the clan worked in the TI department due to the clan's special blood limit. It was a blood limit that Itachi himself was terrified of, and with good reason too. They were able to read and control minds.

"Gerroff me," he growled. She didn't comply, much to his annoyance. The girl simply fisted his shirt in her hands and glared menacingly at him.

"If you dare," Ino snarled. "Hurt her, I'll kill you."

Usually Sasuke wouldn't be very affected by such threats but hers was said with such heat and venom that he found himself believing her. Of course it wasn't enough to scare him. She was still a weak little girl at this point in time.

Sasuke stared at her now, the girl who'd once given him a death threat over a friend who'd cast her aside for him. He believed she could do it now. While not the strongest or the best, she was still a force to be reckoned with. He found himself inching closer and closer to the blonde. As if will alone could make her open her eyes, he waited. Surely she hadn't been that affected?

He jumped when he felt Naruto gathering a huge amount of chakra. He knew he had lots but this much? What the hell was this kid? Sasuke jumped onto the branch next to Ino. Naruto had just procured masses of shadow clones. He hid his shock behind an arm. Since when had Naruto grown so much?

"You stay and relax, Sasuke. Let me handle this."

The Uchiha had almost forgotten about his activated mark. He winced. Thinking about pain always made it hurt more. He growled in annoyance. He would be stronger than this mark and save Ino without it.

If only he could figure out how.


	9. Chapter 9

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence, gore.

**Disclaimer: **More useful abilities.

* * *

_Chapter 9_

No longer would the Hokage smile upon them. No longer would the Hokage walk around the village, playing with the children as he went. No longer would the Hokage give the Academy surprise visits. The Third was dead.

Ino refused to believe it at first, choosing instead to deny everything. But now, staring at the coffin in front of her…it finally came crashing down. Who would protect them now? She pulled Sasuke closer to her.

He didn't protest. He knew that the Rookie Nine looked up to the Third Hokage a lot. The sniffles coming from his left were enough to break his façade. His arm encircled her shoulder, eliciting a sob. As if she couldn't take it anymore, she pulled him into a fierce hug. He could feel the stares(and glares) boring into his very being but for once he didn't care.

The cold rain suited the gloomy afternoon.

* * *

Ino hummed as she watered the numerous flowers in their shop. She wanted to be like water. Water was beautiful yet deadly. Maybe one day, she could be such a thing, too. The light bounced off the little drops of water. One particular one held the reflection of a certain Uchiha.

"Hn," he grunted. She raised a brow. Was he trying to say something? "Turn around." Ino did as she was told, curiosity all over her face. It wasn't often that Sasuke came to visit her. He held out a necklace with the Uchiha insignia on it. It was sweet, really.

"Mine?" she asked though she already knew the answer. His right eye twitched in annoyance. She giggled as she took the jewelry off him and presented her neck. His hands ghosted over her shoulders before clasping the hook. She smiled at the new piece of accessory. "Thanks," she whispered as she hugged him.

"Hn," he replied. She rolled her eyes. Was that really all he had to say? Hn? She doubted it.

"What made you buy me one?" she asked.

Sasuke shifted his weight in her embrace. He looked really uncomfortable and cute like that. "I don't want to lose you," he murmured. Well that was surprising. She had expected him to grunt and say 'nothing you need to know,' or something. What had brought this on? Was it the incident with Gaara and the Third?

Ino hummed, holding him closer and burying her face into his chest. In turn he nuzzled her neck. It was a sweet side she hadn't had much chance to see and she wasn't about to ruin it with one of her teasing remarks.

Not that she needed to.

"I've to meet Kakashi," he murmured. She made a noise of recognition but didn't give any indication of letting go. She could feel his smirk without seeing it. "Ino…" he said. With a sigh, she finally let go.

"See you later then?" she asked.

He nodded. "Later."

The teen left the shop, leaving her to watch him leave. It wasn't after a few more minutes when she finally remembered she had something to do. Ino blushed scarlet. She'd just been staring into space this whole time! She'd definitely be late for Misaki's training now.

* * *

Ino clutched the kunai in her hands. Sweat poured down her face and her breath came in ragged waves. Any more and she could collapse from sheer exhaustion. Then again, that was the sole purpose of this, wasn't it? To train so hard she'd faint?

Misaki smirked at her panting form. She truly was the image of a lion stalking its prey. The way she circled her was almost unnerving. It was as if she were a piece of meat fresh from the grill. A frown marred Ino's features. When was this woman going to attack her?

"Patience is a virtue," said Misaki. Ino tensed and nodded. She tried, she really did, but old habits died hard.

Ino swiftly rolled to the right when the senbon went straight for her heart. She loved this training. It always got her blood pumping and her body hurting the next morning. It didn't even hurt that much nowadays. She'd taken this as a sign that she was getting stronger and had mini celebrations when she was alone in her room. The satisfying feeling was something she'd never get tired of.

She cried out when she noticed the senbon too late and it hit her shoulder. Grimacing, she pulled it out. This was one of those times where she so desperately wanted to learn medical ninjutsu.

"Focus, kid."

'Kid' that she was, she swore she'd get Misaki to stop calling her that. She prepared the one-handed seals for her genjutsu. She'd rather use the Mind Disturbance Jutsu but that took too much out of her. It was certain that she would pass out in just a few seconds of activating the jutsu. And so, she resorted to her illusionary mind control.

Except Misaki was as hard as a rock. So instead of trying to make her lower her guard or tormenting her with traumatizing images, Ino used the time to press her tanto into the woman's neck. When she released it, she quickly poised her kunai above her sensei's heart.

"Good," Misaki praised in a monotone. But then she had Ino in a deadlock. "But not good enough."

Ino was used to it by now. Each session always ended with the same uttered words. Of course she knew she couldn't change that just yet but she was a Chuunin now, damn it! She'd do it and she'd do it with style.

"Don't be late for your date," the heterochromiac remarked before disappearing once again.

The blonde grinned to herself. Sasuke had asked her to go stargazing with him. But that wasn't until midnight and it was still afternoon. She quickly left the training grounds and ran to her house. A nice, hot shower sounded really nice at the moment. Ooh, and maybe a nap too.

Showers always made her feel refreshed and alive. Maybe it was the water pounding against her skin or maybe it was just the water itself. Nonetheless, it felt amazing.

She towel dried her hair. It was growing out fast. She frowned, she needed a haircut soon. Or perhaps she'd grow it out? Ah whatever. She'd figure it out later; but first a nice, long nap…

Ino awoke in sweat covered sheets. What was that dream? She tried to even out her breath. Sasuke…Sasuke was okay. He was probably training with Kakashi. Besides, he'd promised to go stargazing with her tonight. There was no way he'd miss out on that, right? She disliked her uncertainty.

The kunoichi left the house in search for Team 10's male members. It was already dark out and the streets were buzzing with night life. She smiled at the familiar sights. At least she found some comfort in the unchanging surroundings.

Shikamaru and Choujinwere already in the restaurant when she got there. She grinned and waved at them when they beckoned her over. It was nice, eating together with them again. She hated to admit it but she had been neglecting her friends for a while.

"Finally decided you missed us?" Shikamaru asked. She rolled her eyes at him, seating herself beside Chouji.

"Not my fault," she sniffed. She reached for a piece of meat and cut it into even pieces. Man was she hungry! Her stomach churned in anticipation. The juicy meat literally melted in her mouth. Chouji always was a master at the arts of roasting.

"Have you heard?" Chouji asked between mouthfuls of food. She raised a brow. "Sasuke's in the hospital."

She was out of there faster than the two had counted on. So her dream was right, then? Sasuke had gotten into trouble. She ground her teeth in annoyance. What sort of idiotic thing did he and Naruto get up to now? Speaking of the other blonde, she hadn't seen him at all that day. If she recalled correctly, he would be with the perverted old man. She shrugged it off. They were probably training again.

The lady directed her to room 322. Inside, she was assaulted by a number of scents. His room, as expected, was filled to the brim with flowers. She frowned. In her haste, she had forgotten all about bringing anything but herself. It wasn't like Sasuke appreciated the flowers anyway. Her presence—hopefully—was enough.

* * *

A week had passed. Ino had drowned herself in training with Misaki. In that time, she, Shikamaru and Shino had become Chuunin ninjas. She knew Sasuke would be pissed off with that fact. Of all people to become Chuunin before him, it was them three. She couldn't wait to rub it in his face.

It wasn't much though. She'd only become one because Misaki had pressured the examiners and the TI department needed more members. She chose to ignore this fact though. A promotion was a promotion.

Naruto had disappeared, no doubt off to another adventure. She smiled fondly. The kid had such energy. The blonde only hoped he'd bring the woman he was supposed to bring back. It was said that Sanju Tsunade was the best medical ninja around. She prayed it was true.

Ino stared at Sasuke's sleeping form. His chest rose and fell evenly, giving her some hope but she knew. His damage was mental, and not physical. Being from the Yamanaka clan, she knew just how much psychological pain could affect a person. While the woman may have been able to heal his wounds and make him wake up, she would not be able to heal his mental and emotional scars.

The dragging sound of the door woke her from her stupor. In came a blonde woman with a sizable bust, a dark haired woman and Naruto. His grin was too contagious not to return.

"This old lady's going to help him!" he exclaimed. She nodded with a smile.

Ino peered into Tsunade's eyes. "Please help him," she murmured.

Tsunade's hand glowed green, encompassing Sasuke's head. Tears that she'd been holding back all this time finally fell. Tsunade stole a glance at her. "He'll wake up soon." Ino could only nod as she furiously wiped the tears off. Surprisingly, it was Naruto who gave her his handkerchief. She grinned at him.

Sasuke groggily got up. He was tackled straight back down by a yellow blur. He let out a grunt at the weight but made no move to push it off him. This weight was a weight he'd gladly carry.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the choppiness and filler chapter but it had to be done.

Official (main) pairing: SasuIno

However, since it's really close, there will also be ShikaIno. Tell me if you guys want the actual figures.


	10. Chapter 10

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence, gore.

**Disclaimer: **Nope, Kishimoto's still not female.

* * *

_Chapter 10_

Ino could feel Sasuke's killer intent grow more and more as she peeled the apple in her hand. Her right eye twitched in annoyance. It was hard enough to peel these things without cutting herself! The chair fell with a resounding clang but the noise of a loud, probably painful, smack was what echoed down the halls. Ino huffed, blowing her fringe off her face.

"I nearly cut myself because of you!" she screeched. She shouldn't have been so mad but she was. If anyone could overcome this hatefulness, it would be Naruto, not Sasuke. The Uchiha had lived most of his life for the sole purpose of killing his brother. She knew it wasn't healthy and she should have talked to him long before this but she didn't.

Sasuke answered her with a glare. "How is that my fault?" he spat.

"You think I don't feel it?" she asked with equal venom. "It's so obvious even Naruto could!"

"Guys?" Ah, speak of the devil. Ino huffed, threw the apple onto the plate and left.

Why? It was already decided. She knew that Sasuke would definitely go to Orochimaru for power. She knew he felt weak compared to Naruto's enormous amount of chakra. She knew he hated not being able to kill Itachi. She knew all this but she still couldn't help but ask; why?

Ino transferred to the roofs. This way was much faster. She sighed, feeling the cold wind whipping against her face. It was nice, in a way; pain. It made her stay in touch with reality.

Her room offered little to no comfort. There were no answers here. She plopped onto her soft purple bed. It felt nice too, to escape reality for a while. Maybe that was why people needed to sleep everyday? She rolled her eyes at her own self. Now was not the time to be all philosophical.

She didn't move even when she felt their two chakra clash. She knew this was the only way for boys to communicate. A sigh escaped her lips as she fell into a deep sleep.

She awoke late at night. The moonlit room gave off a surreal feeling. She tensed when she felt Misaki's kunai held against her throat. How did she know? Her kunai always had a weird scent that reminded her a lot of someone—someone she couldn't place.

"Be silent," the woman ordered. Ino didn't even dare breathe. She could tell when Misaki was fooling around and when she was being genuine. This was definitely the latter. But why would Misaki do this? "There are Sound around. Their objective is unclear but it seems they've taken a liking to your house. Been here the whole afternoon."

Sound nin were here? Ino allowed herself a small breath. She knew why they were here. Orochimaru had probably sent them to retrieve Sasuke but…why her house? Were they here for her father? No, else Misaki wouldn't bother with her. But then, why would they want her?

As if reading her thoughts, Misaki said, "I believe that they're here to use you as leverage." Ino struggled against the older woman's hold. "Stop resisting kid, I have an idea."

"And how often did your ideas end up with me in trouble?" she whispered angrily.

It turns out that this was one of those ideas. Ino internally fumed as she was dragged away by the four Sound nin. Damn Misaki and her ridiculous schemes. Who the hell gave up a comrade to figure out the enemy's intentions? She cursed in her mind. The redhead would get it after—not that Ino could actually beat her up.

She held in a sigh when she saw Sasuke fighting the same Sound nin. So the ones 'escorting' her were only clones, huh? She groaned when the guy carrying her roughly dropped her onto the roof. A wince interrupted her otherwise graceful flip. Sensing her, Sasuke had activated the seal. "Come with us or she'll get it," the white haired nin said.

She listened when the four explained the 'sacrifices' they had to undergo to gain power. Lose your sanity, sense of self and freedom for power? Ino didn't think she'd be willing to do that. But…Sasuke—the boy who had lived for the sole purpose of avenging his clan—pained as she was to say it, might do it, even without her as leverage. She held her breath, not wanting to hear his answer.

Thank Kami she was spared.

Ino landed next to him. He looked pretty caught up in his thoughts so she didn't say anything. Far away, she felt Misaki's chakra signature move farther and farther away, in the direction of the Hokage tower. She didn't really care if they knew at this point. Sasuke would go no matter what anyone said to him. It hurt but she knew even she wouldn't be able to stop him now. His aura was one filled with greed and rage. She sighed as she leaned against his shoulder and fell asleep once more.

She didn't even bat an eyelid when she told them where Sasuke had gone. So Misaki hadn't told the Hokage about the Sound nin? The redhead had definitely gone towards here last night. Where was she now?

"Please call for Nara Shikamaru," Tsunade ordered Izumo. The guard nodded and left. Ino waited to be excused. Unfortunately for her, the Fifth didn't seem keen on letting her leave just yet. "You couldn't stop him?" she asked. Ino raised a brow.

"I didn't try," she admitted. "I know when it's too late for something."

Tsunade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No matter what, you must never give up on a comrade! You had plenty of time to dissuade him!" the older of the two yelled. Ino didn't even flinch, a feat she was only able to do due to Misaki's rigorous mental training. Her reply was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Enter."

Shikamaru came in, looking bored as usual. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, as she knew he was doing too, and felt slightly sorry for him. He had looked up to Sasuke. To hear the person you idolized had left the village must have been slightly off-putting. She breathed a little easier when he finally left the room. She knew why he didn't choose her for this mission. She was fast but she wouldn't try to get him back. A lost cause was a lost cause. She fingered the necklace Sasuke had given to her. It felt cold in her hand now.

"Think about what your actions have caused," the Fifth said. Ino stared back with defying eyes. "You're dismissed," Tsunade sighed. Ino nodded and headed for the village gates.

When she got there, Sakura and the rest were talking. She'd almost forgotten about Naruto's crush on her rival. It saddened her so, to see such a thing. She knew Naruto would make good with his promise but she also knew it would take time. When the others were about to leave, she made her presence known.

"Ino," Shikamaru said in surprise. She let her gaze wander over the group. No doubt he already had a strategy in place. Her eyes stopped to meet black ones.

"Don't die on me," she whispered.

There was no humor in his eyes when he replied. "I won't."

"You guys too, ya hear?" she said to the rest of the group. Naruto, Chouji and Kiba grinned at her. Neji merely smirked.

"I promise to you too, Ino-chan," Naruto exclaimed.

Ino smiled. "Don't," she said. "You don't need to promise me anything, Naruto."

Shikamaru eyed her with something akin to concern. She caught his eye and sent him a silent plea. He'd better not get distracted because of her. She'd kill him herself if that became the case!

The five and Akamaru headed out and she was left with Lee and Sakura. She had nothing to say to the other girl but she did smile at Lee as she passed.

* * *

Ino rushed into the Hospital when she heard the news. She tried visiting Chouji first but he was still in critical condition and wasn't allowed any visitors. She'd ran straight to Naruto's room next. She jumped him the moment she saw he was sitting up. She didn't even acknowledge the other people in the room for a while. Naruto…the kid probably blamed himself for everything.

"Ino-chan…"

"We'll definitely get him back next time," she said. "Ne, Naruto?"

A grin instantly found its way on his face. She returned it immediately. He had to know that she didn't blame him. He had done nothing wrong.

Sakura and the Fifth left the room shortly afterwards. She, Shikamaru and Naruto talked for a while. It was nice…to be able to talk to them like this. She was just glad they were safe and alive. She glanced at the dark haired boy on Naruto's bed. She'd speak to him later.

"I've to go," she said. They nodded and said their farewells. She smiled at them.

She walked out of the hospital, glad to be rid of the aura of death that always surrounded her when she visited. She trudged on, towards the Hokage Tower. She had business to take care of. Naruto…the pervy old man would probably train him. Ino had to ask someone too. While Kakashi was a good teacher, he couldn't teach her what she wanted to learn.

Ino barged into the Fifth's room. Inside, Sakura was already asking the Fifth to become her apprentice. She knew the Hokage would say yes. Ino sighed. Compared to Sakura's chakra control and intelligence, she was only second best. She smiled at them, apologized with a half-assed excuse then left.

Her next stop was Misaki. The woman was still a pretty good teacher, even if Ino would have rather learnt some medical ninjutsu as well. She knocked on the wooden door. The piece of wood had seen better days, she noted with a slight smirk.

"What do you want, kid?" the Jounin asked.

"Train me," she replied, fire burning in her eyes. Misaki smirked.

"Don't I already do that?" she teased. Ino glared back with unexpected intensity. Misaki rolled her eyes. "Calm down will you? I'll do it…but be prepared for lots and lots of pain, got it?"

"I didn't expect anything less!" Ino said, eyes alight with joy. She had someone who could make her stronger! She had hope.

After three months of rigorous training, Ino was beat. Misaki didn't know how to show any form of mercy. She groaned. Her whole body hurt. The redhead had literally crushed her in a coffin of sorts. She hadn't been let out for three days. She should have gone to Kakashi instead. At least he wasn't sadistic.

She walked down the familiar streets. It was as if an invasion never even happened. The houses looked unscathed, children played happily and business was bustling once again. The Leaf's ability to recover was something to marvel at.

"Yo," Shikamaru greeted. Ino grinned and waved. She immediately noticed something odd. The Sand siblings were nowhere to be found. She raised a brow at this.

"Where are Gaara and the others?" she asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Why? You miss him?" he asked. She huffed with indignation.

So what if she had taken a liking to trying to break the redhead? He was interesting! Besides, she hadn't met someone as hard to break as him in a while. Her insanity was not something anyone could just _not_ react to. So naturally, she felt herself trying to annoy the Sand kid more and more. Of course all her efforts proved to be futile but she didn't give up. Even Neji and Sasuke had snapped at one point. Why, Sasuke even…a sad frown tugged at her lips but she quickly shook that away.

"Just odd seeing you without your girlfriend," she teased back. Two could play at his game.

"Girlfriend?" he choked. She grinned.

"Yes, girlfriend," she repeated. Seeing him this flustered was funny and surprisingly cute. "Everyone's already guessed."

"She's way too troublesome to be my girlfriend," he replied, seemingly recovered.

"So you do have a girlfriend!" she exclaimed in fake astonishment.

Shikamaru lot out a frustrated groan. "Gah! Whatever, Ino," he said. She laughed at his response.

"Whatever to you too," she said, sticking out her tongue at him. "I'm going to see Naruto off."

"Yeah, sure," he said with a dismissive wave. She punched his shoulder before leaping away, careful of his shadow technique. She giggled at the frustration clearly evident in his chakra.

Just like she predicted, Naruto was going to be trained by Jiraiya. She was excited for the blonde boy. Light glinted off her shiny platinum blonde hair. She'd taken to wearing it down lately. While it wasn't very practical, it helped a lot when it came to getting out of trouble quickly. A saucy wink here and a flip of her hair there, she was out of there in a pinch. Not only that but ninja underestimated her too, thinking she was just another weak and vain kunoichi.

Naruto was about to leave when she called out. His surprise was evident. Her only visible eye twitched. Did he really think she wouldn't see him off?

"Ino-chan?" he asked.

"You didn't even tell me you were leaving," she accused.

He replied with a sheepish grin. "You were always so busy with training and I didn't want to bother you."

"Excuses!" she scolded. "You know I would always put you before training."

His eyes softened. "Yeah but you come home tired everyday…even now you look exhausted."

Did she really look that bad? Sure she just escaped that coffin thing last night but…"Are you saying that I look horrible?" she challenged, a nerve popping out her forehead. Naruto quickly recoiled with a horrified look. She giggled. "Just kidding."

"Ah, you scared me, Ino-chan," Naruto said with a sweatdrop. She smirked at him.

"Make sure you get stronger, okay?"

He grinned. "I will."

With that, she watched him go. He would be stronger, she knew. Naruto never went back on his word, no matter how impossible. She smiled at his retreating form. How much would he change, in a few years? She shook her head, already heading to her and Misaki's training spot. Not much, she guessed.

The training ground was devoid of any life. The grass was brown, plants wilted and trees dead. Even the lake, which was once lively with fish, was inanimate. There was not a single living organism to be found. Ino sighed at the destruction she and her sensei had caused. Water was supposed to be nurturing but it could also destroy.

"Ready for more?" Misaki asked. Ino nodded.

"Born ready!" she cheekily replied.

Misaki scoffed. "We'll see about that, kid."

Ino immediately ducked, having sensed the kunai poised just above her head. She flicked her wrist, procuring some senbon from her sleeves. She'd also changed her clothing, opting for the civilian look. She'd found it effective when it came to infiltration missions. Her attire was now composed of a purple vest with detached sleeves and a free-from skirt—allowing her legs swifter movements—and boots with thigh high socks. She'd gotten the idea from her sensei. Boots were able to conceal a lot of things, especially senbon. Her tanto was hidden in her left sleeve, ready for use whenever she needed it.

Misaki formed some seals. Ino quickly recognized it. She cursed and hurriedly formed seals of her own.

"Fire style: Grand Fireball!"

"Water Style: First Wave!"

The fire was immediately put out by the massive wave of water. She thanked the heavens that they were standing near a lake. She'd have been toast by now! Her rejoicing was quickly cut off when more, albeit smaller, fireballs were hurled towards her. She retaliated by producing balls of water that quickly doused the fiery embers.

"Focus, kid!" Misaki chastised. "Distraction can be the difference between life and death."

Ino paid closer attention after that. When she put it that way…quickly forming seals, she activated the genjutsu that never seemed to work on her sensei. Hey, at least she tried! But that really wasn't the purpose of this. She used her other hand to perform a different seal. She smirked as she disappeared from her sensei's view. Soon the genjutsu would break and Misaki would lash out. Except, there'd be no one to attack. Ino praised her own cleverness.

"A little egotistic, aren't we?" Misaki taunted. Ino froze. How did she— she glanced back at the other Misaki. A clone, huh. She must have made the switch during her distraction. That didn't explain how Misaki was able to see her though.

"How?" she asked.

Misaki smirked. "I can't see you per se…rather, hear you." Hear her? Were her ears that good? "I might not have your sensor abilities or any bloodlimit, but I do have my owls."

Ino's eyes widened. Owls had the sharpest hearing in the animal kingdom. A low hoot startled her. How long had those owls been there? Oh, she realized. Beaten by her own technique. She laughed at the irony of it all. But of course she didn't just give up. So what if there were a few kinks in a plan? She'd plow right through!

She leapt forward, narrowly avoiding the kunai. Forming seals in rapid succession she yelled, "Water Style: Second Wave!" She watched as the familiar mop of red hair was engulfed by a wave even larger than the previous. This stage was her limit though, the next took way too much out of her. Her chakra stamina was improving but it still had a long way to go if she wanted to go neck to neck with someone like Naruto. Not that she'd ever need to.

"Impressive," her sensei commented. "But still not enough."

Ino blacked out.

* * *

**A/N**: Time skip to two years next chapter. Finally, time skip time!

Reviews are always appreciated.


	11. Chapter 11

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence, gore.

**Disclaimer: **...I'm most definitely not male.

* * *

_Chapter 10_

Shikamaru groaned as he was once again dragged towards a random restaurant. Why didn't she victimize Chouji for once? He scowled at her back. He'd much rather be cloud watching than following a hyperactive blonde around. He glanced at the glaring men as they passed. Okay, maybe it did have its advantages but the cons way outweighed the pros.

He stared at the clear sky. Oh how he envied the clouds right now. At least they didn't have to deal with loud blondes. First, meetings and escorting another blonde, now he had to deal with _this_ troublesome blonde. As if Temari wasn't enough of a handful.

"I have to go train," he said. He knew the half-assed excuse wouldn't work but he had to try.

"Stop lying," she replied. "I know you're just going to go cloud watching again."

He sighed as he followed her into a booth. She sat across him. It had been two and half years. She'd grown quite a bit. It's amazing how much a person could change physically in a few years. Not much could be said about her personality though. She was still the same old troublesome Ino.

He might as well strike up a conversation. "The crazy woman still up to her crazy schemes?" he asked, referring to her sensei. His answer was a tinkering laugh that had his cheeks heating up. He quickly concealed it with a yawn.

"I'd be worried if she _wasn't_," she said with a fond smile. She'd gotten quite attached the older woman. He just hoped her sadist ways wouldn't start influencing Ino. He hoped but it had already started. Ino was already smirking like her sensei. It gave him the chills sometimes.

"Naruto's coming today," he said. Her smile turned into a full out grin. He loved making her do that; her grin always made him feel an unexplainable joy.

"I know!" she gushed. "I'm so excited. He's probably grown a lot. I wonder what he'll look like? He'll be taller of course. And probably thinner. Or maybe not. I bet all he's eating is ramen."

She talked like a mother would a child. He smirked at her compassion. He hoped she wouldn't change.

"Ino!" Sakura interrupted Ino's tirade. Ino blinked a few times before zeroing in on the pink-haired kunoichi. "Naruto's back!"

Ino was out there in a second. Naruto was back…_Naruto was back_! She laughed as she rushed towards his familiar chakra signature. Just from his chakra alone she could tell that he'd gotten stronger. Her grin widened when she rounded the corner.

"Behold, the new perverted jutsu!" he yelled.

The loud blonde was immediately held in a deadlock. "What was that?" she demanded. He hadn't changed one bit!

"N-N-Nothing, Ino-chan!" he gulped. She snorted before letting him go.

"You better hope I heard wrong or else," she threatened. She wouldn't let him go back into the idiotic phase again. This time around, he'd get a girlfriend! Resolve set, she hugged him tight. "Welcome home."

"Ah…" he replied, returning the embrace. "I'm home."

Kakashi cleared his throat. She let go. "That's nice and all but first, I want to see just how far you've come," he said as he dangled the bells in front of them. She chuckled, overcome with nostalgia.

"You better watch your back!" she taunted. Naruto agreed with a confident 'Yeah!' Although not complete, Team Seven was back.

They arrived in the nostalgia-inducing training field. The three tattered wooden poles were still there. She smiled as took in her surroundings. She eyed the still water. That would be useful during the battle.

"This is where we had our first training, wasn't it?" Kakashi said. She nodded.

"Team Seven, the three-man team," Naruto murmured.

"Only Sasuke was with you, ne?" Kakashi asked.

The mood immediately shifted to a depressed one as she and Naruto curled into balls on the ground. She'd gotten over it but…Sasuke was still a taboo word around her. They snapped out of it when Kakashi clapped his book shut. She froze into attention. Although it wasn't the real thing, Kakahsi never closed his books unless he was being serous.

"Well then," he said. "Shall we begin?"

She sweatdropped when Naruto immediately started attacking. Kakashi hadn't even said start yet. She looked on with approval. Naruto's use of clones had greatly improved; even his timing was superb. But he still had a ways to go with patience.

"Your haste hasn't changed," Kakashi commented. "Start!"

With that, the white-haired nin disappeared. Ino sprang to action. She used her sensory powers to detect him. Underground, huh? She leapt up just as he made to grab her ankles. She grinned at him, already forming her seals. He would copy the technique but she didn't really care. She activated the jutsu just as he sprang out of the hole he dug.

"Water Style: First Wave!"

The Jounin was lost in the raging wave that encompassed his entire form. Naruto gaped but quickly recovered. He created clones that swam straight to their sensei by linking together. She commended his quick thinking.

"Now, Ino-chan!" he yelled. She released the jutsu, the wave dissipating in an instant. Kakashi coughed. He hadn't expect something like that. They smirked at him. He was being held by Naruto's clones. They were about to take the bells from him his body turned into water and splashed onto the ground. A water clone, huh? They were underestimating him.

"Naruto," she said, beckoning him over. "We need to form a plan!"

"You're right," he said.

She smirked as she relayed her ideas to the other blonde. His lips were already starting to form a smile. They would definitely get him now…

Kakashi furrowed his brows. Where were those two? He'd been hiding but the two hadn't come anywhere near his spot and it was already evening. They hadn't given up, had they?

His question was answered in the form of two badly injured blondes. "Kakashi-sensei!" Ino gasped. This was no genjutsu, they really were hurt. But, just to be safe, he kept his distance. "The Akatsuki—"

He was by their side in an instant. Akatsuki? Where were they? He felt surprise when Ino started grinning. They had the bells. What dirty tactics.

"That was dirty," he accused. The kunoichi shrugged.

"But it got the job done," she defended. Naruto laughed.

They chattered all the way back. That is, until Naruto's stomach rumbled. She laughed. His appetite hadn't changed either. "Kakashi-sensei, you're treating right…" Naruto trailed off. The Jounin had disappeared. The cheapskate.

"If it isn't Naruto," Shikamaru greeted. "Was wondering when I'd run into you."

"Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed. "So you're going on a date too, huh?"

She laughed. "What? No. This woman's way too troublesome," Shikamaru replied. Ino rolled her eyes at him. No manners at all!

She watched, amused, as Naruto heard the news that everyone from the Rookie Nine had become Chuunins. His reactions were hilarious. It was even funnier when he found out that Neji, Temari and Kankuro had already become Jounin. As for Gaara…he'd already become Kazekage. They had all celebrated then. Heck, she'd even gone to his inauguration.

"Why don't we all go to Ichiraku's?" Naruto suggested. For once, she didn't object. Hey, she was hungry too! Hunger is the best sauce after all.

* * *

The trio was receiving their mission when a nin came in. "The Sand's Kazekage has been taken by an organization called Akatsuki!"

Ino tensed. Gaara…Gaara had become a friend to her these past few months. She ground her teeth. Akatsuki again, huh?

"Your new mission is to back Sand up," Tsunade announced. "This is an A-rank mission, don't mess it up."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered. Yup, he definitely didn't change. He still had that same determination.

They dashed to the Konoha gates with the Hokage. "Let's go!" Naruto grinned, pumping his fist into the air. Ino rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm. Trust him to be excited about potentially deadly missions.

"Ino!" Shikamaru interrupted. He eyed the Hokage. He'd always been such a smart kid. His smirk made her cheeks flush…just a teensy bit. "Don't die on me."

She grinned at him. "I won't."

"Geez, let's go already!" Naruto whined. She laughed as she ran after him. His patience was even worse than hers.

The path to Sand was a familiar one. She'd gone on it often enough. She sped up when she noticed someone's chakra down below. "Temari!" she called. They stopped to relay the information they'd acquired.

"I had a bad feeling…" the other blonde murmured.

Now a foursome, they headed towards Sand with a renewed vigor. It took three days to reach Sand, two if they minimized rest stops which she knew they had to. Temari was another impatient person. Nerves would attack and she'd get really grumpy really soon.

And that's how Naruto found himself in this predicament. She chuckled at his pouting face. They had no choice, he was too slow even with chakra. But…the image of Naruto on piggyback was enough to send her into fits of laughter. Worser still that Kakashi was the one carrying him. It wouldn't have been so amusing in the past but now… She giggled.

They reached the village in two days, just as she'd predicted, only to be met with more bad news. She ground her teeth. While she wasn't as good as Tsunade or maybe even Sakura, she would have to do. She didn't even ljjjhave time to relish the Sand's glorious sunshine.

They entered the medical ward. "Konoha's White Fang!" an old lady gasped. Naruto blocked the attack intended for their sensei as she stood in front of him. She'd heard about the genius White Fang. Looked like this lady had a grudge in their sensei's father.

"Take a good look, sister," another wrinkled man said.

"Gyahahahahaha! I was just pretending to be stupid!" the old woman laughed. Ino sweatdropped. Another interesting character.

"I need to see Kankuro!" she yelled, already forgetting the recent incident. She stood before his bandaged form. Her hands glowed sapphire, not the usual emerald that the Mystical Palm Jutsu entailed. She scanned the liquids inside his body, quickly but efficiently locating most of the poison. Using precise chakra control that she'd mastered through Misaki's tough training, she guided the poison out his sweat glands and into a conveniently placed pot beside his bed. She sighed. "He's not in critical condition anymore but I still need to remove the remaining poison in his system," she announced. The spectators looked visibly relieved.

"Wow…" Naruto gaped. "Where'd you learn that?"

Ino grinned. "Sakura's not the only one with a genius master!" she exclaimed. Misaki hadn't developed the technique herself but she had come up with the idea of using her natural affinity with water to get rid of poisons. She inwardly chuckled. The woman had only said that because she'd grown tired of her whining about Sakura getting medical training.

"Hn…" her teammate hummed as he inspected her hands. She smacked his head. It wasn't that great. Compared to the Mystical Palm Jutsu, her technique wasn't much help when it came to injuries.

"Please lead me to your greenhouses," she requested as she took the basin with the poison with her. A medic nin nodded and led her out.

The greenhouse was huge. Exotic plants littered the area, creating an effective jungle of sorts. The variety of colorful plants was amazing. She set the basin down on a table. She stared at it for a while. She didn't know much about making antidotes but herbs were her thing. This was one of those rare instances where everyday life crossed over to her shinobi life.

Half an hour later, she'd successfully created four vials of the antidote. While not as fast as she'd have liked, it was swift enough. But she cut herself some slack. She hadn't had Sakura's training or experience with making antidotes. If anything, they should be calling her a genius!

She returned with the antidote in hand. "You could have been faster," the old woman remarked with contempt. Ino felt a vein pop out.

"You should be calling me a genius for even creating an antidote!" she defended, voicing her earlier thoughts.

"And why would I do that? You said you had a genius master!" the elder replied.

Ino huffed. "My master may have great ideas but she's no medic. In fact, this is the first time I've healed anyone!"

Everyone was silenced by that. "Wow, Ino-chan!" Naruto yelled, looking even more amazed than before. She felt her ego swell just a little bit. "I bet you'd beat even Sakura-chan!"

She shook her head. "No, Sakura would have done it in seconds. We'd already be after the Akatsuki if she were in your team." She made Kankuro sit up and drink the antidote. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt the microscopic pieces of poison dissipate within his body. Her first antidote, a success. She grinned at him. "There, you'll be fine now. Just make sure to rest for a while."

"Uzumaki Naruto…" Kankuro muttered. "Please save my brother."

"Leave it to me!" Naruto said. She smiled at his willingness to help others.

* * *

She wondered how it came to this. Ino wiped a brow as she tried to release the genjutsu on Naruto. It was a stronger type, one that took more than just a simple Kai. She placed her hand on his forehead, disrupting the flow of his chakra and effectively waking him.

"Ino-chan…" he murmured, visibly shaken. She gave him a reassuring smile and comforting pat on the head.

"It's alright now," she whispered as she wiped the sweat off his face. He smiled back.

"Thanks, Ino-chan!" he said, finally back to his old self.

"Fire Release: Grand Fireball!"

"Water Release: First Wave!"

The fire was instantly doused by the waves she'd procured through her summoning scroll. It was Misaki's idea. She should really thank her mentor, she decided.

"Nice, Ino-chan!" Naruto praised. She gave him a thumbs-up.

Throughout the exchange, Kakashi had somehow dug a hole. He shot up, punching Itachi in the jaw. It would have been funnier if he socked him in the groin, she thought, and a whole lot more painful.

"Get him and my clone, Naruto!" the real Kakashi ordered. Naruto nodded and started forming a jutsu she'd never seen him do before. It reminded her of Sasuke's Chidori, only more powerful.

All that and it wasn't even the real Itachi. It was a man named Juura from the Sand. She listened as the old woman explained what happened to Jinchuuruki who had their Tailed Beasts removed. Her heart beat stopped. Naruto…and Gaara would die if…?

She was moving in an instant. No way. There was no way she'd let anything happen to her friends! They'd have to get through her first! Those bastards. If they thought they could do as the wished then they had another thing coming. They'd better watch out, Team Seven's coming for them!

Naruto's speed increased a fair amount. She grinned at his back. No way would she be left behind! With a grunt, she propelled forwards, almost on par with Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra boost. He grinned at her.

"Keep up, will you?" Naruto called back to the older members of the team. Kakashi sighed as he and Chiyo sped themselves up as well.

They arrived at the hideout in a matter of minutes. Ino smiled at the water on the ground. This was the perfect battlefield for her. She didn't even need the summon scrolls! She waved as they greeted the other team.

The boulder was huge. Her hand instantly bounced back when she tried to poke it. It was an interesting barrier. She listened as Kakashi explained the mechanics of a Five Seal Barrier. So they had to look for tags with the word '_Kin_' on them then? With that taken care of—Neji's Byakugan sure was useful—they attached their radios on themselves. Ino made sure to disguise it as a ribbon of sorts on her flowing hair.

The others were fast in locating and removing the seals, much to her relief. "We'll proceed with a buttonhook entry," Kakashi said. She nodded, already forming the seals of her jutsu.

"Chiyo-san, please stand back," she said as she activated the jutsu. "Water Release: Giant Fist!"

A fist made entirely of water emerged, smashing the boulder to pieces. They entered on Kakashi's signal. Were they too late? Inside was a man who looked like her and a bulkier, shorter form with the bottom half of his face concealed. Behind them was a large bird made of clay and…Gaara! And he still had chakra in him! Tears welled up in her eyes. He was alive. Close to death but alive.

The two Akatsuki members bickered. The big guy wasn't even looking and he deflected Naruto's shuriken! She watched as the bird swallowed the redhead and escaped. Naruto being Naruto, he went straight after the strawberry blonde.

"Naruto and I will handle the one with Gaara. Ino and Chiyo, stay here and take care of this guy," Kakashi ordered. "Until Guy's team comes back, don't overdo it."

Ino stared at their opponent. His aura screamed 'dangerous!' and it had her tensing. "Stay behind me," Chiyo ordered. Ino nodded as the old woman used chakra strings to control the numerous kunai. She gasped as the Akatsuki member took of his cloak. What was he? "His name's Sasori and that's just a puppet."

So this guy was the same as Chiyo and Kankuro. She glared at him. He was probably the one who poisoned Kankuro. "Nice eyes," he remarked. "Your body would be perfect for a puppet." She bristled. She'd show him how _nice_ her eyes were!

* * *

**A/N**: Whoo. Another one of the longer chapters. What do you think? Reviews are always welcome!


	12. Chapter 12

_ Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence, gore.

**Disclaimer: **Nope, I am still not a guy. Nor am I from Japan.

* * *

_Chapter 12_

Only the sound of dripping water interrupted the silence. Ino looked from side to side. Water encompassed the entire cave; her perfect setting. It seemed that the opponent had noticed this too for his back was straightened and his eyes wandered. He was looking for a trap.

Ino smirked. Sasori looked slightly put out by the fact that his puppet had been easily destroyed by her Giant Fist Jutsu. An eye for an eye, she guessed. They'd been pretty surprised by his appearance as well. He should have been way older than his looks allowed.

Ino formed her seal for the Mind Body Switch technique. Aiming at his head, she activated it but was again surprised by the lack of soul in him. What was this guy? She slipped out undetected. She wouldn't be able to control him, she knew. He was one of those types.

"Since you're not doing anything," he said. "I'll reveal my next favourite puppet. He was a lot of trouble but it was worth it."

He summoned another, more familiar puppet. It was the Third Kazekage. She'd seen his statue before, during Gaara's inauguration. He was said to be the strongest Kazekage the Sand had ever had. But if this Sasori guy was able to defeat him then he was a lot stronger than they'd counted on.

Ino was instantly pulled back when Sasori made his move. She ground her teeth, creating a wall of solid water. If what Chiyo'd said was right then all of his puppets had poison in them. She thanked Kami she was a long distance fighter.

"Watch out!" she cried as the puppet changed its course, opting to attack the older of the two with a barrage of hands. But it was all a decoy as a poison gas shot out in front of her. She held her breath. Strong, firm ropes nearly cut her skin as they clutched onto her. What to do, what to do. There! Ino twisted around, using her hidden tanto to cut the ropes. In a matter of seconds, she was pulled out of the fumes. She gasped, trying to breathe as much as she could. She'd never realized how much she'd miss oxygen. "I'll kill you," she spat. She'd do it for Gaara, for Naruto and most importantly…she'd do it for Sasuke. Well, she'd have some fun before killing him of course. They needed information on Orochimaru after all.

"I'd like to see you try," he taunted as he attacked with several kunai. She threw her senbon, deflecting most of it but some still got through. "Ah, them." Her confusion was answered when she saw what was before her.

"The first puppets you ever made," Chiyo said. "Your parents."

Ino felt a shiver run down her spine. It wasn't the good kind of shiver either. This kid…this kid was sick. She clenched her jaw, trying not to think about it any further. Killing his own parents and making them his puppets…

The puppets joined their hands and created a wire. Ino watched as they cut down the thousands of hands that had implanted themselves in the ground. A battle of dolls, how ironic. She remembered when she had played mock battles with her own dolls at home. This was definitely more exciting.

"Shall I get serious then?" Sasori said. Black sand started pouring out of the Third's mouth. A human puppet, made to contain the living person's chakra. She clenched her fists. This guy was something else entirely.

"Get out of here, Ino," Chiyo ordered. Ino bristled. No way in hell would she back out of a fight! "This jutsu…this is something you can't handle." Underestimated once again.

Ino glared as she stood her ground. She wouldn't chicken out of this. "I'm fighting with you," she declared. She wasn't the same weak little girl anymore. She was Yamanaka Ino of the Yamanaka Clan, apprentice to Hinamori Misaki, Chuunin. No, she wouldn't just abandon Chiyo.

"Too slow!" Sasori cackled as he pelted them with the iron sand. Too slow her ass! She created a wall of water to slow down the sand enough for her and Chiyo to get out of the way. She wasn't some weak kunoichi that needed protecting. Not anymore.

"I'm not leaving," she repeated. Chiyo didn't argue any further. Sasori merely laughed at them, calling them hopeless idiots. She'd show him. She'd show them all.

She didn't have time to counter the oncoming rain of sand. Luckily, Chiyo had her puppets protect them with a chakra shield. Only now they were useless as the sand hindered all movement. She ground her teeth. Wasn't she just saying that she'd show them?

"Chiyo-san," she said. "Please use me as your puppet." It may have been a desperate idea but she had a plan. Use water to destroy the sand and get to him. Iron rusted in water, right? She grinned.

She propelled forwards, already coating her fist with chakra induced water. The iron stake fell on her, or at least it seemed that way. She'd been able to flip backwards just in time to avoid it thanks to Chiyo. Sasori had anticipated this, already attacking her with the other piece of iron block he made. She dodged then used her Giant Fist jutsu to make smash it against the wall.

Ino had always prided herself for being a keen observer. It was the first thing her dad had taught her. In fact, of asked she would say that people watching was her favorite past time. This was another one of those rare occurrences where her everyday life crossed over her job. She could already see the attack patterns. So much so that she didn't even need Chiyo's guidance all that much anymore.

Iron sand went everywhere, impaling itself in the wet rocks. She used the water to push Chiyo out of the way but didn't have the time to save herself. The jutsu was a terrifying one, creating a net of bars around her. It was as if she were in a maze of rods.

"Ino!" Chiyo yelled through the dust. Ino swayed. She'd been able to deflect some of the smaller pieces of iron but she'd still gotten cuts. She cursed. Of course he'd put poison inside the sand itself too. She mock fainted as she injected the antidote into herself. Five minutes until the antidote wore off. If only she could get close enough.

Water crawled up her trembling body, cleansing all wounds. While she couldn't heal herself completely, she could at least stop infections. She took out her bandages from the first aid kit in her waist pack. They would have to do for now. Damn she really wished she had proper medical training now.

The Third puppet tried finishing her off once and for all. Tried being the key word here. Her hands were still covered in water. She used this as a way to corrupt the puppet's joints and have them explode. With the puppet gone, there was one less thing to worry about.

"Chiyo-san!" she called. She'd give the other antidote to the old woman, just in case. "I made extra," she explained as she handed the vial to the other woman. Actually, there was only one left. "We have five minutes to end this."

"I will admit that I underestimated you," Sasori said. Woah woah woah, why the hell was he stripping? She choked on her own spit when he revealed his true body. He'd turned his whole body into a puppet. Fear overcame her senses. This guy was really messed up.

Ino dodged the projectiles he was sending her way. What she couldn't dodge was the coil of rope. She cried out. At least she had the antidote. She ground her teeth, sending water to tend to the wound. Her eyes widened as Sasori's true target was revealed.

"Like hell I'd let you do that!" she screamed as she guided the water into the shape of a hand. "Take this!" With the water mimicking her movement, Sasori was swatted aside like a fly. He hit the wall with so much force he broke into pieces. But of course it wouldn't be that easy.

Three minutes left.

Chiyo finally pulled out her trump card. She summoned ten creepy puppets. Ino would definitely avoid dolls after this. And then Sasori had to summon his army of puppets. Ino swore. Great.

"Ino…" Chiyo said. "This will be the last act. Are you prepared?"

"Always."

Two minutes.

Ino stood, shocked. Puppets were scary in more ways than one. An idea cropped up. Chiyo was having trouble controlling her arm because of the sand, right? The blonde maneuvered the water towards the old woman.

"It's just me," she whispered when Chiyo flinched. She worked on removing most of the iron from the woman's arm. It was arduous work but it was better than nothing.

Ino, whilst improving, was still impatient. She formed seals on her other hand. "Water Release: First Wave!" she cried as the water flushed away and crushed a few dozen puppets. It was a mindless jutsu that didn't require much chakra control so it was the perfect way to hide her efforts.

Chiyo was getting old. Her reaction speed was still fast but it wasn't enough to dodge the attack coming from a random puppet. Ino cursed. "Chiyo-san!" she yelled. She had better use that antidote!

"Don't worry about me," Chiyo called. "Take Sasori!"

And Ino did. She used the seal that Chiyo had provided and threw it towards the redhead. Using water to propel it farther, it hit the target bang on. It was over. Just when the antidote wore off too.

"Take the antidote!" Ino shouted. If Chiyo took the one she'd given her then they would still have one left over. Her breath caught when Sasori revived in another puppet. His blade poised to strike, he ran towards Chiyo's crippled form. Ino quickly injected a vial into her system once again. It was such a waste but she got over it quickly. She took the blade intended for the old woman. Ah, man. Did she have to be such an impulsive person?

"Chiyo-san…" she croaked. "I still have the antidote in me. Hurry and take yours."

She didn't know why she lied.

Ino awoke in somebody's arms. It felt nice…being carried. Maybe this was why babies liked to be carried? It felt so warm in these arms. She opened her eyes. Sky met darkness. She blinked a few times, unsure if this was a dream or not.

"Sasuke?" she whispered. This was probably just a hallucination; a side effect of the antidote maybe?

But the voice was too real. "What have you gotten yourself into?" It was enough to have her in tears. Sasuke…did he save them? Ino scoffed. Like he cared about her anymore. It had been years, who knew how much Orochimaru had corrupted him. He'd probably forgotten about her already.

"How do I forget about such an annoying person?" he asked. She froze. He'd heard her? "Yes."

"Beyond creepy," she murmured into his shirt.

"You're the one inside my head," he shot back.

She felt chakra coming towards them. "Where's Chiyo-san?"

"Dead." Ino stood. Dead? "Gave her life for that Gaara brat." But Gaara wasn't dead yet, there was still hope. There was no way she could have died.

"No way…" she muttered. "No way…"

"I don't have time to explain to you," he said as he stood. She knew that stance. He was planning on leaving her here? Like hell she'd let him! "Tenchi Bridge, ten days from now at noon. Be there."

_Run._

With that he disappeared. She had no energy to go after him; her wound had reopened. She fell back to her knees. So close yet so far. Tears fell down her face. Why did fate have to be so cruel?

"Ino-chan!" Naruto's comforting voice called. She wished she'd faint again. She didn't want to face him right now.

"Yamanaka-san," Gaara's very alive voice broke through her thoughts. Fresh tears fell. He was alive but at the cost of another. A hand touched shoulder, finally making her look up into the eyes of the Kazekage. "She needs medical attention!" he observed. Oh yeah she did. She felt like a dead man.

"Gaara, I'm sorry," she whispered. He looked genuinely surprised. She allowed herself a small smile. This was the first expression she'd been able to pull out of him.

"Ino?" he asked. He even called her by her first name! Tell her that wasn't a success.

"There's no antidote left," she said. "I only had two with me. I lied to Chiyo-san. The last vial was to stop the bleeding."

Now Gaara looked scared, not surprised. Hah, it was priceless. She wished she could say that it was all a lie but she couldn't. She really wished she was only acting.

"Check her!" he ordered. "Get the poison out of her!"

She smiled as she leaned her head on his shoulder. So he didn't think that she was just a nuisance at least. He didn't want her to die. That in itself was enough for her.

xxxxx

Ino awoke inside a sterile white room. She knew what this was but she couldn't believe it. She was supposed to be dead, right? Had they found the last vial of antidote? But she was sure she dropped that in the forest on the way to the Akatsuki hideout. Or was this the afterlife?

"You gave us quite a fright," the Fifth said. Ino tensed. "Be glad I was already on my way here for a meeting."

So that's who'd saved her. It all made sense now. "Thank you," she murmured.

Two days passed with her stuck inside the medical ward. To be brutally honest? It sucked and she needed better entertainment. Sure people came to visit her and all but they couldn't always be there. When would they let her out of this place? It's not like she was still dying anyway!

It was with that thought that she defied orders. She sneaked out at night and went to the village graveyard. It was a chilling place that reeked of soil and death. The slabs were well kept, despite the weather. She admired the care the people of the Sand gave their dead.

Ino skimmed through the names, hoping to find Chiyo's. She'd at least apologize for lying to her. "Defying orders?" Gaara's monotone interrupted the silence. He'd always been able to hide his chakra signature from her.

"For good reason," she sniffed.

Gaara hummed as he took her arm and led her to the grave she'd been looking for. "I have a message to deliver," he said as he let go of her. "You will become a great kunoichi that generations to come will look up to."

It was sweet, really. She felt the moisture fog up her eyes once again. She curled into a ball and sobbed. Time passed, she didn't know how long, and soon the sun began to creep up. She didn't even notice the cloak that Gaara had placed on her before he left. A smile etched itself onto her face as she fingered the piece of cloth. He was slowly but surely changing…

Another example of that came when they were finally allowed to go home. She watched as Gaara and Naruto shook hands. Pride swelled within her. As a mother would, she cried tears of joy at their progress. They were like her little chicks now.

"Don't get all sappy on me now," Tenten warned.

They said their farewells and off they went. The desert was particularly pleasant, not at all burning hot. She paled when Guy started carrying Kakashi on piggyback. That was something she didn't want to see ever again. She laughed when Lee offered his back to Neji though. Hey, that _was_ hilarious. Especially Lee's look of utter disappointment when Neji less than politely declined.

xxxxx

Ino studied the newcomers. Their chakra told her that they were strong but she couldn't know precisely. She was once again the weakest member of the team.

"Y-You!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You know this guy?"

"I'm sorry, I only wanted to gauge your capability," the dark haired nin said. "I just didn't know how much I'd have to look after the little prick with no balls." Ino laughed out loud at that. She didn't even stop Naruto from trying to attack the new member, leaving it the other new person. She already liked this guy.

She stepped forwards and clapped him on the back. "I like you already!" she announced.

"I also dislike friendly crones like you," he said with a fake smile. She blinked. Ah that hit a spot. She held him in a headlock.

"Care to repeat that?" she threatened.

He hummed. "At least you are stronger than him," he said while pointing at Naruto. They'd definitely get along. She let go.

"Name's Yamanaka Ino," she introduced. "You?"

"Sai," he replied. She waited for a last name but none came. That was it? Just Sai? She frowned but didn't comment on it any further.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto grumbled.

She listened attentively as their new leader announced the new mission's details. They were going to Tenchi Bridge. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She would get to see Sasuke again.

She walked to home with Naruto. He seemed to be in a very bad mood. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I just can't believe that someone like him is replacing Sasuke," he grumbled.

She laughed. "He's quite the potmouth, isn't he?" she said. "But if you really think about it, he's a lot like Sasuke; the voice, the looks…"

"Not at all! Sasuke's way cooler!" Naruto defended. She chuckled at that. He'd never say that if Sasuke were here. She decided to tease him a little further.

"You're right, Sasuke does somewhat seem a bit cooler than Sai," she said.

Naruto gaped at her. "What do you mean 'somewhat'? He's way better!"

"Yes, yes," she dismissed. "Totally better."

Naruto huffed. "You were the one with a crush on him!"

"Don't be bringing that up NOW!" she yelled as she made to punch him. He dodged and leapt onto the roofs.

"See ya, Ino-chan!" he called as he left. She watched his retreating back before heading off to her own home.

Ino didn't show it but she was genuinely worried about the mission. Not just because of the fact that they might be falling into a trap but also because of Naruto and Sai's animosity. It didn't help the teamwork that Kakashi had instilled within their minds from the very first time they he met them.

She says that but…

"I wouldn't be likened to the weak shit-for-brains Orochimaru clone that ran off for power and betrayed Leaf," Sai said.

He was making it really hard not to hate him.

She coated her fist with water. "Naruto said too much, please forgive him," she laughed.

"At least one of you is reasonable," Yamato sighed.

She surprised them all when she punched Sai into a tree. "On the other hand," she continued. "You don't have to forgive me."

Sai wiped the crimson blood off his chin. "You fooled me completely…" he muttered. "That fake laugh just now."

She clenched her jaw. "If you bad-mouth Sasuke one more time, I won't hold back," she warned. It wasn't a good idea to rile her teammate up, she knew, but she didn't have the patience that holding back required.

"I understand," he replied. "I will also be mindful of your acting."

She smirked her Misaki smirk. Yamato sighed as he created a wood cage. She blinked. Only the First was able to do that. Poking the sturdy wood to make sure it was real, she eyed their new captain. Just what was this guy?

xxxxx

Ino sighed as she relaxed into the hot spring. There was something about the heated water that always calmed her nerves. Or maybe it was just the fact that it was water? Nonetheless, it sure felt good. That relaxed state was ruined when Naruto started yelling about the male organs. That idiot really didn't know how to keep it down.

She went to bed in an extremely good mood. Not only was her room cool, it had a nice view and the futon was really comfortable. She wanted to cocoon herself in it forever but she knew that wasn't possible. She had a mission to do.

Ino awoke to the sound of chirping. She smiled at nothing, her good mood from last night still intact. She went about her usual morning routine. As she combed through her hair, she spotted Sai. Thinking that it was as good a time as any, she headed out to at least be on better terms with him.

The halls were neat and tidy with a few plants every so often. She hummed, in an ever better mood. It was still early though so she made sure not to be too loud; the patrons and Yamato would kill her.

She reached the platform that Sai was sat on. It overlooked the dense forest ahead. Continuing her humming, she sat next to the tense Sai. She nearly laughed at his rigidity but controlled it.

They continued like that for a while; one drawing, the other humming. Neither acknowledged the other. Ino waited until her song finished before she finally turned towards her team member. She watched him work, liking the way his face looked when he concentrated. He looked a lot better without the fake smile.

"You're pretty good," she complimented.

"Your voice is also good," he replied.

They stared at each other for a while before she broke out into a full out grin. "I really do like you, you know," she said. "Especially since you speak your mind."

Sai looked genuinely surprised. "I…am not sure about my feelings towards you," he said.

She laughed. "That's fine," she said. "Just make sure you don't say anything bad about Sasuke around Naruto, 'Kay?" she warned. He nodded.

They talked for a while after that. He was a pleasant guy if you ignored the permanent fake smile on his face. Their time was interrupted when Naruto came to get them. She sweatdropped when he insulted Sai's drawing. Boys.

Ino helped him pack his stuff since she'd already packed hers last night. She noticed something; a picture book! It wasn't printed so it meant that Sai had made it himself. She asked if he would show it to her sometime. He'd responded with a negative, stating that it was still incomplete and that it was his brothers. She'd have pressured him into showing it to her anyway if she hadn't noticed the solemn look on his face.

They met up with Yamato outside the lobby. Her good mood slowly failing the longer they walked—WALKED!—she sighed. The scenery was boring and there weren't even any animals to distract her. Not to mention the fact that all attempts at civil conversation failed. Either Naruto would spout something insulting or Sai would. It was quickly getting on her nerves. And so, they walked in silence until evening.

"Here's a good place to camp," Yamato said as he erected a freaking MANSION. Camp her ass.

They sat around the fire as they discussed their plan. Yamato would disguise himself as Sasori and restrain the target and if he were to fail, he would signal them for battle. If that were to happen, then they would fight with a partner. She was paired with Yamato whilst Naruto and Sai were the other pair. She had her doubts about the pairings and quickly voiced this.

"You're the only one with at least some knowledge of medical ninjutsu," Yamato explained. "To reduce the risks of you getting injured, I will be with you."

It was a reasonable enough explanation but she had a feeling there was something else at play here.

xxxxx

She watched the battle progress. Oh, Naruto. He had to go and use his own jutsu while still hedged as Sai? She sighed. It was clever at first but he'd sabotaged it in the end.

She listened to Sai's criticism that eventually led to bad mouthing Sasuke. Hadn't she warned him not to do that in front of Naruto? She fingered her hidden tanto. If it came down to it, she'd have to stop him.

"If it's to save a friend, I'll do anything," Naruto said. "Even work with you."

They watched him walk away. His chakra reflected his bad mood, dampening her own. Sai turned to her with a confused expression.

"Why does he still care about Sasuke?" he asked.

She looked down. "To him, Sasuke's like a brother," she said. "You should understand. You have a brother too, don't you?"

"No, not at all," he replied. "I have no emotions."

She saw Naruto scratch the tree bark as he picked up his bag. She eyed Sai. "But you said you had a brother…you can at least imagine how you would feel if he were to disappear."

Sai pondered this for a while. "I guess I can," he relented. "Since my brother's already dead."

She sighed. Talk of dead people again. She didn't know why she did it. Maybe she felt sorry for him? Or maybe she was just insane. She stepped forward and pat him on the head, much like she did to Naruto.

"I'd warned you not to bad mouth Sasuke around Naruto," she said. "But I'll forgive you just this once."

The blonde kunoichi spun around and started walking towards the path. There was no use stalling like that anyway. If they were late then all they'd done was for nothing.

She bid their new captain good luck as he walked, or rather HOBBLED, towards the spy. They watched the exchange as calmly as they could. Well, her and Naruto at least. Sai was as calm as any.

Ino nearly blew their cover when Orochimaru appeared. She calmed her beating heart; he could probably hear it over the wind! Well, plan ruined. Kabuto was with Orochimaru all along! She waited for the signal. Come on already! She nearly whooped when he finally did send them the signal.

"Oh my…" Orochimaru said. She ground her teeth. How dare he talk like he owned Sasuke! In her rage, she didn't even notice Naruto's chakra shift. It was too late when she did as she was pelted by debris. Just the aura was mind-numbingly terrifying.

Fear had her petrified when Naruto attacked Orochimaru with a beam of pure, devastating chakra. Who was this Naruto?

_Kill…I must kill him._

Ino trembled at the sheer killing intent rolling off of her teammate. She half-listened to Orochimaru babble on about Yamato being his test subject. Well it certainly explained why he was able to use the First's techniques.

She gasped as Naruto lost all self control and sprouted another tail. Even the wind itself hurt as it lashed against her. The chakra was immense! "Naruto!" she yelled into the howling wind. She knew it was no use but she tried it anyway.

Amidst the chaos, Kabuto had somehow gotten close enough to Naruto to elicit a wild attack. She leapt out of the range of the devastating chakra. If he was able to cause so much damage with just chakra alone…

She screamed as she lost her footing and fell into the newly formed gap. Just her luck. She formed her seals, hoping with all she had that there was water down below. Lady Luck finally sparing her, she managed to create a blob of water that she could safely fall into. She guided it up, propelling her back to the battle. Sai didn't even try to help her!

She landed beside a worried Yamato. "Sorry about that," she apologized. He sighed but smiled at her anyway. Ino froze. "Taichou…" she croaked. "Something's happening to Naruto."

"How did you—"

"Sensor," she gasped. This chakra was too much for her to bear! She clutched her head, already feeling a massive headache coming. Great, just great. She was about to pass out when Kabuto spoke. She didn't really listen, she could care less about what he had to say at the moment. Besides, it wasn't like she'd be able to hear him anyway.

A shockwave interrupted all speech.

The chakra released was enough to make her see stars. She swayed. It reeked of malice. She jumped when Naruto landed near her position. The pressure finally becoming too much, she slumped against Yamato. She'd have to do something about her sensitivity to Naruto's chakra.

But Naruro's anguished cry was enough to send her careening towards him. Such a sad, lonely sound…no one should have to go through so much pain. She couldn't hear what Kabuto or Yamato said but she did hear Naruto's pleas.

_Sasuke…I must save Sasuke…Kill, kill, kill…Ino-chan?_

Ino lay in a heap, blood running down half her head and left arm. This thing wasn't Naruto anymore but he was still there somewhere and she would get him out! She grimaced as pain encompassed all other senses. Man this sucked.

Kabuto's foreign chakra healed her wounds. Not that she wasn't grateful but it felt like she was being violated for some reason. She groaned. Why did he heal her?

She watched as Yamato somehow sealed the chakra away. Just how had he'd one that? She gasped as she stood. The headache was still there and Kabuto hadn't been able to heal her arm completely. This was going to be bothersome. She kneeled in front of her teammate's body. She summoned the nearby water to cleanse his wounds and speed up the healing process. She still wasn't as good as a medic but it had to do. They watched as he reverted back to his normal self.

"Ino-chan?" Naruto murmured as he woke up. She laughed and hugged him tight.

"Never again, you hear me?" she whispered. "Never again."


	13. Chapter 13

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence, gore.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Naruto then I wouldn't even have to write a fanfic.

_Beta'd by AkatsukiMemberShadow_

* * *

_Chapter 13_

Orochimaru's lair was a lot more like a labyrinth than it was a hideout. She wondered how they were even able to maneuver in this place. Ino sighed as they silently searched the rooms for any occupants. The numerous rooms and halls were all the same, making her feel slightly sick.

Yamato stopped her. "Something's happened to Naruto," he said. She nodded as she followed him towards her teammate. She hoped it wasn't Orochimaru but knew it was useless.

They rounded the corner, facing the Snake Sanin himself. See? Hoping such things were useless. Orochimaru didn't even fight them, much to her relief. "I'll let you live another day," he said before he disappeared. Ino frowned. Where had he gone off to?

Yamato interrupted them. In his hands was Sai's bingo book. She stared at it. No, she refused to believe that he'd only been acting and she knew Naruto did as well. Nonetheless, they went searching for him. A huge shock wave was all they needed to pinpoint his location.

Ino flew into Sai as soon as she saw him. "You didn't betray us, right?" she demanded. Sai looked shocked at her outburst but smiled—a genuine one.

"No," he replied. She laughed and hugged him. She knew a liar when she saw one and Sai was definitely not lying.

"Found yourself a boyfriend already?" Sasuke's cutting words made her freeze in place. How had she not noticed his chakra?

Ino felt her necklace burning against her chest. "Sa-Sasuke…" she stammered. There he was, the real thing.

_Run!_

The blonde gasped when she was roughly detached from Sai. Her back was pressed against the hard wall. Sasuke…Sasuke was strangling her. Tears threatened to fall as she fought to breathe. Why? Why was he doing this?

"Traitor," he whispered menacingly into her ear. Her eyes widened. Did he think that she…Hell no! With all she had, she pushed him off. He thought she liked Sai? She glared at him. Had he so little faith in her? The slap echoed down the empty halls.

"You idiot!" she seethed, clutching her throat. The necklace fell onto the floor. She didn't even bother picking it up as she punched Sasuke. What the hell kind of reunion was this?

"Ino…" he muttered, eyeing the necklace.

She sniffed. "Such an idiot."

"Sasuke!" Of course Naruto had to ruin it with his perfect timing. Sasuke glanced over.

"It seems you're here too, huh?" he asked. "Then, Kakashi…?"

He looked slightly disappointed to see Yamato. Ino's eyes widened. Could it be that he was looking forward to this reunion as well? She squashed the thought. Getting her hopes up would accomplish nothing.

And it was true. The pain she was feeling from hearing those words was indescribable. He severed his bonds with them because it proved as nothing but a hindrance to his plans. But then, why did he even tell her to come here? It didn't make any sense. Just what the hell was he really thinking?

Her eyes widened as Sasuke moved towards Naruto. Like hell he'd do anything to him! With a speed that matched Sasuke's own, she blocked his attack with by grabbing his wrist and pressing her tanto against his neck. She felt slightly awkward with Naruto in between them like this.

"Stop this, Sasuke!" she yelled.

"Get out of the way Ino," he ordered. She stood her ground and glared back. He wasn't the only one with a Death Glare.

"Not when you're planning to kill Naruto, I'm not!" she screeched.

Sasuke smirked. She forgot just how much she missed seeing him like that. "Troublesome as always," he said as he sent a current into her body. Ino was too slow to realize this, becoming a victim of the shock. She crumpled onto the ground. A little stronger and she would have died from electrocution alone.

"What did you do!" Naruto growled as he bent over her trembling form. With a final surge of electricity, Sasuke rendered her unconscious.

_Sasuke…what happened to you?_

When she woke, it was on Naruto's back. "Naruto?" she said.

"You're finally awake!" Naruto exclaimed. She grinned.

"You've got really loud thoughts," she chastised. "How do you expect me to sleep through that!"

It was true, she had been hearing Naruto's thoughts lately, even without contact. Was this the secret jutsu her father been talking about earlier?

"Woah, you can read my mind?" Naruto blinked.

Ino laughed. "I can hear every single one of them!" Naruto paled at that.

"You can shut it off right?"

She honestly didn't know. She didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer either as she pretended to fall back asleep. Teasing Naruto was always fun.

xxxxx

The room was filled with an ethereal glow as the moonlight filtered in through the curtains. A cool breeze blew in, causing a lone girl to shiver. Deep ruby eyes appeared in the shadows, watching over the blonde kunoichi.

It moved, hovering above the sleeping form. There was no malicious intent in its actions for it handled the girl with a gentleness that only a lover would know. And as quickly as it came, it disappeared, leaving nothing but a necklace in its wake.

Ino wondered who it was that brought her her beloved necklace back.

xxxxx

Ino breathed in the smell of the library. She always did love libraries. They smelt of old books and knowledge if it had a scent. She giggled to herself as she browsed the shelves. A mop of black hair stopped her in her tracks. She hadn't noticed him at all.

"What's that you're reading?" she asked. "You didn't strike me as a reader."

To her surprise, he actually blushed. "Ah, Ino-chan," he greeted. The new suffix only proved to further her confusion. But then she saw the books scattered on the desk. They were all about self-improvement and making friends. She laughed.

"Wanna come visit Kakashi-sensei with us?" she offered. Of course she'd take him even if he said no.

"Kakashi-sensei…" he hesitated. She rolled her eyes as she took his arm and led him out.

"You are part of Team Kakashi so you're going to have to meet him sooner or later anyway," she said. She picked up her pace when she spotted Naruto. She called out to him, drawing his attention. He looked pretty depressed but at least that disappeared quickly. The two blondes bickered for a while about studying. She didn't really put much heart into it though. She knew Naruto would never actually listen to her nagging.

"N-Naruto…Ino…" Sai began. So it was just Ino now? "Would you mind if I joined your conversation?"

"Not at all!" she said.

"Why the sudden change in attitude?" Naruto asked.

"Well I was reading a book about making friends and it said something about dropping suffixes and using nicknames so…" he trailed off, clearly embarrassed. She grinned as she clapped his back.

"Well you're doing a pretty good job so far!" she exclaimed. Sai visibly brightened at her praise.

The trio arrived at the hospital with idle chatter. Thankfully, Sai hadn't said anything insulting to Naruto throughout the whole walk so they arrived unscathed.

"You must be Sai. Nice to meet you," Kakashi said.

"Thank you. You too," Sai replied. His manners and conversational skills had definitely improved.

As Kakashi discussed his plan of training Naruto, Ino was already thinking of her own training. Misaki was out on a mission so she'd have to train with someone else. She frowned. Who would be a willing guinea pig?

The answer came in the form of Team Ten. Perfect. Sakura scooted closer to her, obviously ready to gossip about the newest member of her team. Ino would give her no satisfaction. Sure they'd dropped the whole hate-each-other-so-much-looks-could-kill thing but she wouldn't talk bad about someone who was still in the process of blooming.

"Why don't you guys go ahead to the BBQ place?" Asuma suggested. "It's on me."

And that was how she found herself in her current predicament. Damn Shikamaru and his ability to find excuses. She'd corner him another day, she vowed. He always used training as an excuse anyway.

The two teams chattered away well into the night. Sai's awkwardness was funny but she didn't tease him all that much. She grinned at him from across the table. He was growing too.

xxxxx

Ino grunted as she narrowly avoided the senbon Shikamaru threw at her. She'd told him to use them since they were smaller and harder to see. She didn't want to admit it but her eyesight was slowly deteriorating. As far as she knew, it was caused by the blow she received from rushing straight into Naruto in his released state.

_Kill it already._

"Focus, Ino!" Shikamaru yelled as the senbon cut her cheek. She frowned. Her main enemy was her wandering mind.

She shook her head. "Let's go running," she declared. She didn't even wait for his answer. "Tag, you're it!"

It was an effective training method. Not only did it work on her speed, it worked on her sensor abilities and ability to hide as well. Hell she'd even admit that it was a lot funner than what Misaki would have had her do.

They stopped after an hour or two, falling into a heap on the forest floor. Man she was beat. "Elemental training next!" she panted.

Shikamaru scoffed. "More training? Look how exhausted you are!" he exasperatedly pointed out. "Besides, I have a meeting soon."

She pouted. "But I'm not done yet!"

"You won't be done until you've passed out from exhaustion," Shikamaru accused. She didn't deny it. "We'll train once I'm done with my mission."

"You better not skip it," she threatened as he stood, pulling her with him.

"Yeah, yeah," he said in a dismissive tone.

Hand in hand, they walked back to the village; not that they noticed.

xxxxx

Misaki arrived late afternoon but she still wasn't available. Ino frowned. She had a feeling the woman was avoiding her on purpose. But for what reason, she wondered. Had she finally cracked and didn't want any of her nonsense anymore? She doubted it. Misaki had to deal with lots of madmen each and every day, Ino was nothing compared to them. Then what? She sighed as she walked down the halls of the Hokage Tower. The Fifth had asked for a private meeting. She greeted the workers bustling down the corridors. She kind of felt sorry for them for having to deal with such a messy Hokage.

"Come in," Tsunade ordered as soon as she reached the doors.

Inside was Kakashi and Misaki herself. The blonde rose a brow. Just when she'd given up looking for the woman, she had to show up. Oh how the world teased her.

"I've had enough of your whining about medical ninjutsu," Misaki grumbled as she rubbed her temples. "So I asked the Fifth."

Ah, so that's where she was? It didn't explain why she took so long; it was already evening.

"I'm currently training Naruto as I'm sure you're aware," Kakashi said. "Hinamori-san has been informing us of your progress as well." Her progress?

"You've already developed quite the jutsu with your cleansing," Tsunade noted. "We can improve that so it can heal the wound completely, not just prevent infections." Ino nearly jumped for joy. Proper medical training! Hah, take that Sakura! "I've also heard about your experience with plants and poisons. This shouldn't take too long."

It felt too good to be true but who was she to complain? She'd been bitching about this ever since she was a Genin; now wasn't the time for hesitation.

"I'll be ready for anything you throw at me!" she declared. Kakashi smiled at her. What did he see when he looked at her? Was she still the weak little girl from back then in his eyes? She hoped not. More than anyone, she wanted him to acknowledge her new found strength. He was her team leader after all.

"Training starts in two days!"

...

Developing a jutsu wasn't as easy as she'd originally thought. The books made it sound so easy. She frowned at the injured fish beneath her hands. Her eyes flicked between the basin of water and the fish continuously. No matter how much chakra she put in, the water just wouldn't heal the thing completely!

"That's enough for today," Tsunade said. She could detect the disappointment in her voice. Ino sighed and nodded. There was no use trying to force something to happen.

She walked home with a heavy air around her that night. She was good at chakra control but something just wasn't working for her. Her gloomy face was illuminated by the street lights. Seeing such a sight would have thrown anyone off. The village was used to seeing a grinning and joyous Ino, not a depressed one. In fact, if Naruto were to see her he'd demand to know where the real one was straight away. Even Shikamaru would be concerned. Heck maybe even Gaara would raise a brow(hypothetically of course.)

_Run!_

Ino clutched her necklace. What she needed was more motivation. But she couldn't simply go to the store and buy such a thing. This was the young kunoichi's problem. She was still passionate about getting Sasuke back but her training had hit an all time low. How was she supposed to be of any help if she couldn't even succeed at this? She bet Naruto was faring way better than she was. She clenched her jaw. Left behind once again.

_Asumaaaaa!_

Shikamaru? Ino gasped, clutching her head. That was definitely Shikamaru she'd heard. She rushed back to the Hokage Tower. She had to tell someone! Who cared if it might have been her imagination playing tricks on her? For Shikamaru to cry out with such despair… what had happened to Asuma?

"Tsunade-sama!" she cried. The pain; it hurt. Shikamaru–Shikamaru was hurt! She gasped. "Shikamaru… something's happened to him and Asuma," she croaked.

So much pain.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune yelled. "Asuma's team have encountered the Akatsuki!"

It was enough to have her heart stop beating. Asuma was okay, right? He was the son of the Third, he was the Sarutobi Asuma. He would come back and she'd see him eating with Team Ten again. Yeah, definitely. There was no way he'd just die. He was stronger than that. He was a member of the Sarutobi Clan after all…So why was Shikamaru in so much pain?

Tsunade barked out orders that she wasn't able to hear through the pounding in her head. Nothing else mattered anymore. Shikamaru was hurt and whoever did it would pay.

"Ino!" Tsunade yelled, breaking the spell she was under. "Get a grip and make yourself useful!" How the hell was she supposed to do that? She couldn't even heal a fish properly! "How did you know what happened?"

"I can feel it," she whispered. "He's hurting…hurting so much."

"What? Who? Ino!" She wasn't listening anymore.

"Asuma's probably dead too," she murmured. "Why else would Shikamaru be crying? Shikamaru never cries."

The harsh rain pelted Leaf's busy streets. The patrons would go home soon afterwards. Rain was always a bad omen. It only confirmed her suspicions. Asuma wouldn't be buying flowers from their shop anymore.

She didn't know when she fell asleep. Ino groggily sat up as she scanned her room. There was something about her and falling asleep at random places. This had to be some sort of sign. She rolled her eyes. As if.

The warm water soothed her nerves. She made sure to make her eyes look a lot less puffy from crying. Thinking back, she hadn't been crying at all last night. Had she cried in her sleep? She frowned. Hopefully no one saw.

"Sarutobi Asuma's funeral is in an hour," the letter had said.

Ino searched the crowd for her friend's chakra signature. She sighed. Of course he wouldn't come to the funeral. She turned, already on her way to look for him. For someone like him to get her this worried…

She found him smoking on a hill. She frowned. Since when did he smoke? "Smoking's bad for your health," she chastised.

He glanced at her. "Troublesome woman," he murmured. Her eye twitched. The sheer nerve of this guy! Here she was getting all worried about him and all he had to say was troublesome? She huffed.

"Whatever," she sniffed.

Why did she even come? She'd expected this kind of reaction. Shikamaru would rather watch clouds; who cared if she was worried? Cloud watching was a better way to spend his time on than to indulge her emotions. This was just how Shikamaru worked.

So why was she disappointed when he didn't stop her?

xxxxx

She didn't feel bad for ratting them out. At least this way, Kakashi would make sure they wouldn't get themselves killed. She sighed into her coffee. She was doing a lot of that lately, wasn't she?

"Ino-chan!" Naruto called. She was watching him train for a while. They had twenty-four hours to perfect his jutsu; any longer and Tsunade would send a different team. She believed in Naruto's willpower though. She knew he would be able to do it. He wasn't Naruto for nothing.

She wished the same could be said about her.

"Wanna go to Ichiraku's? I'm hungry!" Naruto offered.

She grinned. "Race ya!" she laughed as he fought to catch up. She was still the fastest.

Naruto had been growing a lot faster than any of them had counted on and it made her feel a little bit left out. Don't get her wrong, she was happy for the guy but she felt so inadequate compared to her two teammates. What was she doing wrong?

They arrived in a few seconds. The smell of delicious filled her nostrils, making her stomach grumble in anticipation. Ramen wasn't usually this appetizing to her but she was hungry and she'd eat just about anything. Well, perhaps not anything incredibly disgusting.

"Ino-chan's so fast," Naruto whined. "I'll never catch up to you."

She laughed. "Misaki didn't train me for nothing," she said.

Naruto adopted a thoughtful look. "You think you could get her to train me too?" he asked. Now that was surprising; why would he want to train under Misaki? "I mean–you're so fast you'd be able to run up to the enemy, attack and then get away before they can do anything!"

The coward's way. "I suppose," she admitted. While she and Shikamaru had dubbed it so, it was still a pretty good tactic when wanting obtain as little damage as possible. In her case, this was a really good strategy.

"You'd be like some sort of teleporting super ninja!" Naruto exclaimed. She had to laugh at that. Naruto had the weirdest ways of describing things.

"You make it sound like it's some amazing thing," she snorted.

"But it is! Do you know how cool it looks?" Naruto stared at her with wide eyes. She rolled her own but laughed anyway.

"Alright, alright," she relented.

"At least you're smiling now," Naruto commented before pretending to eat. So that's what he was doing. She smiled into her tea. He could be really sweet if he wanted to, that Naruto.

xxxxx

The bare trees looked daunting, almost foreboding. The stale air did nothing to help calm her nerves. They had to get there in time. They just had to. Ino bolted in front of the group. These were her childhood friends and sensei they were talking about. Like hell she'd arrive late!

She noticed with a start that Sai was on par with her speed. The more she thought about it though, the more it made sense. He had a lean form and he was from Root; of course he'd be fast. He glanced at her with indiscernible eyes. What was he thinking?

During the past few days, she'd noticed that she only heard other's thoughts when they were experiencing powerful emotions. Naruto being Naruto, was the person she heard a lot from. He was so compassionate it was hard not to hear his thoughts. She smiled fondly.

"Slow down, Ino-chan!" Naruto complained. She could feel the anxiousness in his chakra signature. "We're not all as fast as you are!"

_Kill it!_

"You're the only slow one here," Sai commented. It was true; Yamato had gone ahead as well, only slightly behind her and Sai. She wondered how Naruto hadn't noticed it.

Said blonde blinked in surprise before pouting. "Not my fault!" he grumbled. "You're all just super ninjas or something." She laughed, her stress slowly dissipating.

Several chakra signatures made themselves known to her. She lagged behind then grabbed Naruto, pulling him along. Not far off now. "We're nearly there," she promised. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed for having to resort to this again.

They arrived in a matter of seconds. "Sorry we're late," Naruto laughed.

Kakashi sighed. "Just in time," he murmured. She grinned at his battered state.

"This is the first time I've seen you lose your cool, Sempai. This opponent must be quite strong," Yamato observed. Indeed he was. She could tell just from his chakra.

"Where's Shikamaru?" she asked, pretending not to sound too concerned. She couldn't feel him at all. Where was he?

"Ino, Sai, back Shikamaru up," Kakashi ordered as he summoned Pakkun. She grinned at the dog. Ah the memories.

Ino punched Naruto's shoulder. "Make sure to beat him good," she said with a wink.

They left with Pakkun into the forest. It was dark and slippery but she knew her way around. Shikamaru had taken her and Chouji here lots of times(without permission of course.) A huge explosion interrupted the calm that surrounded them.

"I'll bite you to death!" a manic voice called. She tensed. The person's chakra was strange, touched by an even stranger force.

They were too late when they got there. "A little late, aren't you?" Shikamaru scoffed. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Alright, Mr. I'm-too-cool-for-you, next time you run off to fight some potentially deadly criminals, I won't even bother worrying!" she said.

"You worry too much," he said, almost sounding like he was scolding her.

"Let's go back," Sai said. Ino wholeheartedly agreed.

The sight that greeted them was a welcome one. They'd defeated the other Akatsuki member. She sighed in relief. No one had been injured too badly. She guessed that was partly because of Sakura's presence in the team.

"I did it, Ino-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. She grinned. He was growing up so fast she could barely keep up. She laughed when he fainted from exhaustion. Still the same old Naruto.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the slow update ^^'7


	14. Chapter 14

_Ocean Ripples_

_By Noriellie_

**Summary**: Yamanaka Ino was carelessly tossed aside for a certain Uchiha boy. This was war. What if Ino was placed in Team 7? A lot would change of course, considering the fact that she didn't even like Sasuke, nor did she hate Naruto. In fact, if anyone made her maternal instincts go berserk, it was him.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing, violence, gore.

**Disclaimer: **I wish.

* * *

_Chapter 14_

All was peaceful in the quaint room. Purple curtains billowed in the cool afternoon breeze. On a desk, a healthy rose was perched atop an innocent looking red letter. The tranquility was interrupted by an oncoming storm. A flash of yellow bounced about the room, knocking over several things in the process. Clothes were scattered on the carpet, worn ninja tools discarded on the bed and neatly piled scrolls had fallen. The rose was now crushed on the ground.

Ino dashed to her teammate's apartment. Tsunade had summoned them both to her office. Ino had to wonder what it was she wanted to talk about. Their training? The blonde sweatdropped. She was slowly but surely progressing. Hey at least she could heal, albeit slowly.

"Ino-chan?" Naruto said, mouth stuffed with noodles. She didn't even explain as she dragged the protesting teen with her. They were late enough as it was.

"Glad you finally decided to grace us with your presence," Tsunade sardonically said. Naruto shrugged, still munching on his noodles. Her eye twitched. Thank goodness Jiraiya was there to calm the Senju down.

"My apologies, Lady Tsunade," she bowed. "I had some trouble with my master." She wasn't lying either. Her heterochromatic sensei had decided to punish her recent gloominess by trapping her inside an impenetrable glass cage. She'd tried everything—taijutsu, ninjutsu, everything! Then she realized something that made her feel like a total idiot. Misaki's style focused on emotions!

Tsunade cleared her throat, snapping her out of her memory. Ino straightened at the busty Hokage's serious expression. "Word is going around that Sasuke has killed Orochimaru," the older blonde said.

_Run to him, idiot! He's waiting for you!_

"That what are we waiting for?" Naruto exclaimed, food shooting out his mouth. She sent him a disgusted look. "Let's go meet him right now!"

"It's not that simple," Jiraiya interjected. Tsunade sighed, a forlorn expression settling on her young features.

A black hawk perched on the red roof outside and squawked at them. Beady eyes seemed to stare right through her soul; much like how he used to. A chilling wind burst in through the open windows, sending shivers down her spine.

She sighed as Naruto swore. He could be so naïve it almost hurt to watch. Sasuke wouldn't be back anytime soon, something she'd learned to accept the past couple of days. Her only hope was the returned necklace that seemed cold against her skin. She knew she dropped the accessory back at Orochimaru's base yet it somehow found its way back to her. Who else could have returned it but Sasuke? Don't get her wrong, it hurt that he would choose revenge over them but she knew there was no helping it.

"We need to talk to Itachi then!" Naruto said.

"It's not that easy," Ino remarked. "Capturing an Akatsuki member is really dangerous, Naruto."

"She's right," Kakashi confirmed. "It's either too dangerous or not an option."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Naruto demanded. Kakashi smiled.

"The only thing we can do," he replied. "Get to him before Sasuke does."

xxxxx

Rain poured down on the leaf, dampening everything; including her mood. Ino stretched as she watched animals scurry into their homes, almost tempting her to use genjutsu on them. But of course she wouldn't do that. Misaki tortured enough people for the both of them.

She really needed to do something about her sadistic urges.

"We sure got stuck with some lousy weather," Kakashi commented. She agreed.

"Let's gooooooo!" Naruto exclaimed. Really. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Cool down will you?" she chastised. He never did let anything ruin his mood. She smiled fondly. His spirit was admirable.

"Sorry," he apologized as they sprinted into the trees. Kiba laughed.

"We'll move in two man teams," Kakashi stated as he summoned his ninja dogs. She smiled at the dogs who chose to go with her. They were small and looked really fast so she had no doubts about them being able to keep up with her. "If anyone encounters either of our targets, flee and return straight here," he said. They nodded their affirmations. "Spread out!"

The thick forest was dreary. Civilians walked to and fro but none of them were her target. She furrowed her eyebrows. Sasuke…

"We've found him!"

Her heart sped up. "Let's go!"

They followed the faint scent of their target into a busy town. She kept her senses alert, trying to help locate the Uchiha as much as she could. It was hard, trying to look for a specific chakra signature amidst a mass of people but she knew she could do it. For Naruto.

"The scent is moving away now," one of the dogs announced. Ino cursed. She hadn't felt his signature at all! Where the hell was he?

_Run._

A massive explosion on chakra surprised her. Her mouth formed a grin. Found him. "Let's go!" she announced as she sped towards the direction of the chakra. There was no doubt about it; these chakra signatures were Deidara, Sasuke and another unknown person. She hoped she'd get there in time.

The ninja hounds howled as they neared the chakra signatures. Her excitement getting the better of her, Ino forgot all about Kakashi's order to flee. Sasuke's dark aura overwhelmed her. Of course he'd use it. She clenched her fists, willing herself to ignore the ominous chakra. She was so close!

The dreary forest became a blur. She was going so fast even the summons had a hard time keeping up. A battle was definitely happening. Ino cursed as she was blasted backwards by a huge explosion. She blinked, clearing her vision of the black spots. Gathering her bearings, she noticed that she was alone. Where were the ninja hounds? Had they fled? She stood and continued on towards the battle. The tree barks supported her slightly limping body. Her back was definitely full of bruises.

Sapphire met ruby as she stared into those deep, sad eyes she'd come to love. "What are you doing here?" he hissed at her. His voice was still as alluring as when she'd last seen him.

_Run._

Ino snapped out of her stupor. "Looking for someone," she breathed. Then she noticed something. Why was the air vibrating with chakra? She gasped as Sasuke grabbed her and propelled them away from the chakra-filled field.

"Stay here," he ordered as he activated the cursed seal and flew off towards a giant bird in the sky. How hadn't she noticed that before? The blonde frowned at her own stupidity. Who could miss such a thing? Especially a sensor!

She definitely noticed this one though.

_Run!_

Ino sped towards the Uchiha. To concentrate so much chakra into one place…it was suicide! She ground her teeth as she grabbed Sasuke's arm and got them both out of the way. The brilliant light of the explosion blinded her, rendering her sight useless for a few moments. The blonde hissed as she and Sasuke pummeled into a tree. With ragged breaths, she examined the other teen. His chakra was way too low; he was almost completely depleted! She pursed her lips. The cuts weren't a pretty sight either.

Sasuke momentarily closed his eyes. His mind reeled from the recent happenings. The adrenaline rush was a welcome change from the dullness he'd been feeling but why now? Of all times, she had to appear now. She was as he'd remembered her to be. The same silky blonde tresses, the same breathtaking eyes, the same fiery attitude and presence that demanded to be noticed. Yet something had changed within her. His eyes shot open in distaste.

"Are you an idiot?" Ino demanded. He exhaled. She glared at his aloof demeanor.

He looked her over. "You're hurt," he commented. She almost laughed out loud. Seriously, this guy.

"Worry about yourself," she murmured as she placed a hand on his bleeding arm. Her legs were indeed a bit burnt but they could wait. Her hands glowed with a brilliant cyan. Water formed over her palms as she healed his injuries.

He surprised her when he slumped onto her shoulder and nuzzled her neck. "You need to get out of here," he whispered.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Like hell I will," she retorted. He was this close…she wasn't going to lose him again.

"Then come with me," he countered. She froze. Go with Sasuke? That idea was oh so tempting but she knew she couldn't. Oh how she wished she could be selfish and do as he said. "Thought so," he murmured into her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

And just like that, he disappeared. The Yamanaka sighed. Him and his knack for disappearing. She straightened when she felt familiar chakra signatures approaching. She fumbled to heal her burns.

All her efforts were discarded when he came into view. "Ino-chan!" Naruto called.

She smiled at him. "Hey," she greeted. She looked around for her ninja hound companions, relieved when she found them with Kakashi.

The other blonde eyed her burns. "What happened here?" he asked.

"Sasuke and Deidara…" she frowned at Kakashi. "Seems like he didn't die after all."

"You saw Sasuke?" Naruto exclaimed. Of course that was all he heard. She nodded. "Why didn't you stop him?"

She sighed as she stood, wincing a little bit at the pain. "I tried," she replied. "But he said something I had to refuse." Everyone save Naruto gave her sympathetic glances. The ramen-eating nin simply gave her a look of confusion. She smiled reassuringly. "It's nothing. We should follow him. Sasuke's pretty hurt so he won't be moving very fast. Now's the perfect time to catch up to him."

"Unfortunately, we can't," Pakkun said. "The trail ends here."

Kiba grinned. "I've found him!" he announced. "My nose has gotten better than a ninja hound's these days," he explained. She grinned back.

"Let's get going then!" Naruto said. Kakashi offered his shoulder. She smiled in thanks at her sensei but refused anyway.

Their team followed Kiba through the trees. Her legs weren't very badly hurt but they still stung, especially since she hadn't fully healed them yet. Healing in front of Naruto would make him agitated. No one really wanted an agitated Naruto. And so she played it off as nothing.

"Sasuke's scent split up!" Kiba declared. She swore. He's noticed them.

"He probably has a proper platoon," Kakashi observed. "And one of them is an extremely talented sensor." At that, he glanced her way. Ino frowned. What was he thinking? Oh.

Ino concentrated. Like hell she'd be a useless team member. Her eyes closed, she tried to zero in on that familiar chakra signature. The presences of her companions and other licing creatures were ignored. She was completely focused on him. When she opened them, she sighed and shook her head at Kakashi's questioning gaze. He nodded in understanding.

Naruto used his shadow clones to cover a wider area, hoping to run into Sasuke. She frowned at his reckless use of chakra. If he came across Akatsuki on his own, he'd need every single bit he had.

A hush fell over the group as they waited for Naruto's clones to encounter the Uchiha. Ino fidgeted with her fringe, Hinata fumbled with her hands and Shino kept muttering incomprehensible words. The silence was almost stifling. Kakashi lay a hand on her tense shoulders. The blonde looked into her sensei's warm brown eye. She nodded, calming herself down and focusing on locating his chakra signature. It was the least she could do.

Birds squawked at them as they disturbed their nest. Ino was not to be distracted though. She was focused solely on her target. Her hand sought her sensei's shoulder, using him as support. If she became too focused, she could lose sense of her own self and get lost.

Not even Naruto's announcement broke her concentration. "Found him!"

The swift change of direction had her loose her footing but Kakashi quickly righted her. She nodded her thanks to the Jounin. The group landed on the soft ground with the ease and grace of an acrobat, despite her injury. They followed Naruto as he sped off towards Sasuke's supposed direction. Silence reigned the nin once again. The tense atmosphere was almost suffocating.

She was almost glad for the distraction.

Behind them was a lake of considerable size, glistening in an ethereal way. Lofty trees loomed over them, casting shadows all over the forest floor. On one of those trees was the third participant in the recent fight. His chakra screamed dangerous straight away.

"We have trouble," she hissed at Kakashi. The unknown person had survived after all. He donned the standard Akatsuki cloak and an orange whirlpool mask with a single eye hole. Everything about this person scream dangerous.

His laugh seemed forced. "Eight against one, huh?" he scratched his head like an idiot would. "This is definitely unfair."

_Run, you fool!_

"He's not on the list that Kabuto left behind," Kakashi noted.

"Oh? That's because I'm new!" the mysterious person chirped. Ah, he was beginning to grate on her nerves already.

Kakashi held Naruto back as the hothead started going after the enemy. She frowned. This guy's aura was one full of deceit and darkness. She definitely didn't like it. Her hand instinctively twitched to reveal her hidden tanto. There was no way this wasn't going to end up in a fight. Sure the guy was outnumbered, sure he didn't_ look_ like much but his chakra told her otherwise. The thing she disliked most about his chakra was the similarities it held with Sasuke's own. Just who was he?

Naruto cried as his clone charged at the Akatsuki member from behind. Said Akatsuki member's chakra shifted yet he didn't make any signs. What in the hell? From her position it almost seemed as if the attack had connected but somehow, Naruto seemed to phase straight through him! Her mind hurt from the chaotic questions she knew she wouldn't be able to find the answers to. This guy was something else.

Naruto fought the Akatsuki member, trying hard to make the enemy reveal his true power. She knew it wouldn't happen. Even if he did show some of his power, something told her it wouldn't be all he had. His chakra was that of an ANBU, much like Kakashi and Yamato's. She was sure the other Jounin had noticed it too. On the positive side, they had a hotheaded Genin with them. That was more than enough.

"We don't have the time to screw around with you!" Naruto growled.

At Kakashi's order, they went into Formation B and attacked relentlessly. She was a bit useless on her feet but the immense amount of water the lake provided made up for her lack in speed. Naruto snarled as he used his numerous clones to continuously pummel the man. None of the punches connected. Hinata gasped, as if she realized something. Not that it was anything she didn't already know. This guy had a technique that could make anything go straight through him. Damn his technique was annoying.

Shino summoned his numerous bugs. The swarm made him look incredibly terrifying yet cool at the same time. The bugs surrounding the enemy nin, giving him no option to dodge. He couldn't avoid the bugs if they surrounded him. The Akatsuki was covered in insects in a matter of seconds. That must feel really uncomfortable.

Yamato used his wood release and had the planks race upwards. However, just before the attack connected, the enemy disappeared. It definitely wasn't a teleportation jutsu. Teleportation jutsu was simply high speed that Shino's bugs would have easily caught on to and prevented. This was different. His chakra had simply vanished. It should have been impossible, really, yet it happened. She blinked when his chakra reappeared again.

"Up there!" Hinata called.

But she wasn't listening anymore. What was this ominous feeling? She shouldn't have but she squeezed her eyes shut, wishing nothing horrible had happened. She really didn't like this. Fate had other things in store though. Silent tears fell and slid across her porcelain skin.

The darkness was accompanied by the feeling of being rapidly transported somewhere.

_I told you to run._

xxxxx

Water dripped onto a puddle, creating the only sound within the cavern. All around the two sitting figures was nothing but rock. The place didn't seem to have any exit nor entrance. So how had she gotten here?

Blue and red stared at each other. One with confusion and dread, the other with silent contemplation. As if the eyes' owner was debating with himself. Thinking she might as well, she examined the man before her. The uncanny resemblance was slightly unsettling but whatever. She noted that he was (and dare she say it) attractive. She remembered him from her days as a child. The infamous Uchiha Itachi, genius child. He was her idol back then. Someone whom she looked up to. Still did actually. Because no matter how wrong his actions were, there was no doubt in the fact that he was a prodigy that could best even Kakashi himself. He was what she'd wanted to be like. Strong, smart and looked up to.

She might have had _tiny_ a crush on him too.

Yet something was amiss. His chakra seemed really low. Despite the fact that this person was probably just a clone he'd created to kidnap her, it was still kind of sketchy. The way he wavered was an even greater indication of the strain the main body was experiencing. Did this mean Sasuke was winning his fight? She hated to say it but she'd secretly been hoping he'd lose and realize his mistakes.

"My time here with you is rapidly decreasing," he finally spoke. She knew that. What did he think she was? A dumb bimbo? "We must be swift."

"Swift with what?" she inquired, genuinely curious.

He stood from his perch and crouched in front of her. His intentions were still unknown at that point but the way he looked at her was unsettling. It gave her a terrible feeling of uselessness. As if he were looking down on her. It was surprising when he smiled. Completely taken aback, she spluttered and blushed. What in the hell?

"Be free," he murmured.

A change occurred within her. Her shoulders seemed to have become a lot lighter and her mind became clearer. Never before had she felt to at ease. It was wrong to be feeling as such in the presence of the enemy but she was comfortable and she wasn't going to interrupt the temporary silence. She hadn't told anyone but she'd been hearing voices lately. It didn't usually bother her since it was mostly Naruto's thoughts but something else had been there, whispering, taunting, ordering her around. It was an unknown voice, one she couldn't quite place.

_Both of you! Run, damn it!_

There it was again. Her mouth formed a frown as her moment of silence was disturbed. This voice was annoying. Her moments of silence were close to nonexistent nowadays. The voice was like the annoying fly that kept buzzing in your ear that you can't get rid of. Oh how she wanted to snap at it and scream.

"I can hear it too," the older man whispered. Her eyes widened. Someone who could hear this voice? "You must never listen to it," he continued. "Unless it tells you to run."

"It's been telling me to do that all day," she whined. His chuckle was a soothing sound. It was in this moment she noticed that he was a lot like the older brother he had once been. Why?

"Is it still telling you to do so?" he asked. Her response was a solemn nod. He hummed. "The voice is something you can't get rid of. It is somewhat of a conscience at the back of your mind that is not truly you. It resides within everyone but only a chosen few can truly hear it. I believe your mentor can too."

"Misaki?" she gaped. He smiled, amused.

"What does the voice tell you?"

"It's always different. Sometimes it's just a simple 'run' then other times it's 'run away' then sometimes it swears at me and then it just insults me for not running,"

"That is all it tells you? To run? Nothing else?"

"Nope."

Itachi sighed. "You will meet a woman," he began. "Hinamori Misaki's sister is said to be able to hear the whispers of the past, the present and the future. She resides in the land of the owls, where they keep her safe from greedy humans. Request for an audience and she will do the rest." She nodded, still unsure about it all. His disarming smile was all she needed though. In the past few seconds, he had just shown her the love of an older brother would give his younger sibling. It was almost hard to believe that this guy had killed his entire clan. He didn't seem cold at all. "I will have to do for now," he murmured.

The same warm feeling overcame her once again and she was free. No burdens, no obligations, _no voice. _Oh the bliss of ignorance. Her eyes fluttered until she was pulled into the welcome warmth. It felt as if she was lying out in the field with the afternoon sun shining down upon her. She could almost feel it. The soft wind caressing her cheeks, the soft ground underneath her and the smell of flowers all around. Paradise.

She was brutally pulled out of the illusion and back into the real world by a loud bang. Itachi was gone, leaving her alone and cold on the cave's damn floor. To her left, the wall cracked. Shouting could be heard from the other side. She recognized the voice almost instantly but it didn't mean she welcomed it. She liked her fantasy, thanks!

_Foolish girl! Now look what you've gotten yourself into! Run!_

"Oh my," a masculine voice cried. "They sure are loud, ne?"

Ino's mouth formed an 'o'. How had she not noticed him? Itachi's words rang through her mind.

_Run!_

And she did. The cavern was small but she made sure to put as much distance as possible between herself and Tobi. His dangerous aura had only become a lot scarier this close. Naruto had better hurry up and smash that god damned wall. She eyed the dripping water. If worse came to worse, she'd have to fight this guy alone. Damn it.

_Break the wall yourself._

Never listen to the voice unless it tells you to run, Itachi said. It was hard not to when the thing made so much sense. She groaned in frustration. Listen to Itachi or to the annoying voice? Ah, well.

Ino smashed the already crumbling wall with her leg that had miraculously healed. Had Itachi done that when she was out? She laughed. He'd gone through all the trouble and healed it for her and here she was, kicking a wall. Thank goodness the thing wasn't as hard as she thought it would be and came down easily. Debris flew from the impact. The blonde leapt away when Naruto came crashing through with his rasengan still activated. If she hadn't felt the chakra through the wall, she would have been hit square on. Never listen unless it tells you to run, huh?

"Ino-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. He looked pretty relieved.

_You're free. Now run!_

"Where's Itachi?" she asked. Tobi had disappeared. The other blonde furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why?" he asked.

_Run to him, girl!_

"I need to see him," she stated before leaping away.

Her senses seemed heightened now. She was hypersensitive to all chakra around her. Her own chakra buzzed with the euphoria she was experiencing. Such an occurrence would normally overwhelm a ninja but she only felt revitalized. It was as if she were feeding off of the ambient chakra within the organisms in the forest.

_Run faster!_

And so she did. She aided her steps with chakra, racing with all her might towards that wavering presence that would soon leave this world. She had to get there before it really did happen. The adrenaline rush she suddenly felt was welcome. Her speed increased once more, she arrived at a rather heartbreaking scene. There, lying next to each other, were the Uchiha brothers. The last remaining survivors of the Uchiha clan. Her heart went out for both of them.

Ino kneeled in between the siblings, facing Itachi first. She sniffled. "...cryi..ng?" he coughed.

She huffed. "It's the rain!" she defended. Her idol was dying right in front of her eyes. "And don't speak so much," she chastised. "You'll make it worse."

He smiled. "I am already," he paused. "Dying anyway."

Her hand glowed azure. "Not yet you aren't," she said. "I'll keep you alive."

His hand covered her own. "It's no use," he murmured. "I must die... for him."

_Keep him alive! Don't let him die! Kami forbid you let him die!_

"No you don't!" she protested. "You don't have to die!"

"But I must," he insisted. "I will become Sasuke's...eternal light."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she hissed. Eternal light?

"You will...understand," he replied. "Soon.. enough."

_Keep him alive!_

"I can't let you die," she cried.

"I thought... I told you not to... listen to the voi..ce," he muttered. His breath was haggard now. She knew she couldn't heal him, his organs had been completely ripped to shreds. His lung was probably collapsed and it seemed like he had a few broken ribs.

"I know but," she paused. But what? Why was she showing so much compassion towards the enemy? Perhaps it was the way he made her feel in that cavern? Then again, just _what_ had he made her feel? Cared for? Safe?

"Your affection is...misplaced," he remarked. "Sasuke..care for him. He does not have... anyone else."

"Okay," she whispered.

"Take my...eyes," he ordered. "Implant them...into him."

"Okay," she agreed. It was all she could say at the moment. He smiled at her. It was a smile that tore her heart to pieces.

"Absolutely...don't," he wheezed. "let _him_...near Sasuke."

"Okay,"

"And," he poked her forehead with two fingers. "Never listen...unless it says..._run_."

The hand on her forehead fell onto her lap. She knew what he was commanding her to do. Run, run and take Sasuke. Ino wiped her face, closed Itachi's eyes and then turned to the other Uchiha. His hair stuck to his forehead and blood covered his skin. She wiped the stains on his handsome face away. She loved the way he unconsciously leaned in to her touch. A smile quickly found itself forming.

She jumped when she felt the him behind her shoulder. "Quite the good looking kid, isn't he?" he murmured into her ear. It sent shivers down her spine.

"I'm not letting you take him," she declared.

"Too bad you haven't got much choice," he sighed for dramatic effect. "Two-against-one with Akatsuki is never a good thing."

A plant looking thing appeared out of the ground. There was a clear separation running through the middle of his body. Half of him was white and the other was a pure black. He was really creepy. "How'd you know?" it asked. "Yeah, how?" the other side agreed. Way creepy.

Tobi ignored the weird guy. "You're going to have to hand them _both_ over."

Ino stood her ground. "No, thanks!"

She used her mind disturbance jutsu on the plant looking guy and had him completely come out of the ground. Tobi chuckled then pressed a kunai to her throat just as she had the plant guy throw a shuriken. He easily deflected that one and leaned into her. "You'll give them both to me whether you like it or not."

She really should have ran the moment Itachi gave the order.

* * *

**A/N:** Uh. Yeah. Sorry? ;-;


	15. Chapter 15

_Ocean Ripples_

_by Noriellie_

**Summary**: What would change if Ino had been put into Team 7 instead of Sakura? A lot of course, considering she doesn't even like Sasuke and tolerates Naruto. Undecided pairings.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing.

**Disclaimer**: So many people would still be alive.

* * *

_Chapter 15_

They were too late. Kakashi stared at the fallen form of his female student. He bent low and scooped her up bridal style. Her body was riddled with cuts and bruises and she looked exhausted even in sleep. This girl was the princess of the team—maybe even the whole village—seeing her in such a condition had his steps faltering.

"Naruto," he said. "She'll be alright."

He knew the boy had probably forgotten all about the blonde and was instead focusing on the Uchiha. Naruto blinked and had the sense of mind to feel embarrassed. He smiled kindly at the young teen.

"Let's go," he announced. The merged platoons set out back towards the Leaf.

The mission had definitely failed but he felt like something important had taken place here, with Ino at the center of it all. He glanced at the Yamanaka's bothered expression. If Sasuke were still with them, he'd be agitated and demand he carried her himself. Naruto would shoot him a suspicious look and then tease/insult him mercilessly.

Thinking of the could-have-beens always made him feel a myriad of emotions; happiness, longing, sadness and regret.

He smiled sardonically. Of all the students he had to have gotten, he'd gotten these ones. Sasuke, the arrogant genius of the Uchiha clan; Naruto, the passionate yet hothead of the Uzumaki clan; and Ino, the friendly mother hen of the Yamanaka clan. The similarities of this team to his was astounding. Fate sure had a twisted sense of humour.

His heart heavy, Kakashi stayed silent throughout the whole trip back. Naruto had fussed over Ino's health. He'd practically ordered them all to stop by a town just to have the local healers check on her. Said blonde however was still asleep. He had a feeling he knew why. It was a defense mechanism. When the brain can't handle all the information and shock, it shuts down. She was simply recomposing herself.

Of course Naruto thought it was all a load of bull.

The opening of familiar ocean blue orbs was very welcome. Naruto, who had been watching her all night, immediately jumped on the kunoichi. There was a barrage of 'welcome backs' and curious inquiries. Of course, most of these questions were asked by Naruto himself. He smiled at the sight of his two students as one laughed and the other pouted.

Their eyes met. Much like the time during the Chuunin Exams, they communicated through their eyes. Their relief and sadness exchanged silently in the mere three seconds they shared eye contact. It was an odd thing only she was able to do; hold a conversation without a uttering a single word. Perhaps it was the Yamanaka clan's blood running through her system, but perhaps it was her natural ability to connect with anyone she met; much like Naruto actually.

* * *

Sasuke's mind reeled. Itachi…was a good guy? Itachi was a…good guy. Regret instilled itself within him. What had he done? What had the Leaf done? Hatred took over. The Leaf would pay for the all the pain it had caused. It would pay dearly.

_The truth…_

Ino's voice. He held his breath, begging for more. How he wanted to hold her close and steal her from that wretched place. He'd keep her safe with him, away from all the lies and deceit that the village possessed. But he knew she wouldn't like it. She'd hate him for what he was planning to do. She might even forsake him for the rest of her life.

He didn't care anymore.

To Sasuke, Ino was a possession he had long overgrown but couldn't quite let go of. She was that toy that you had had for so long it hurt to throw it away. Yeah, that was all she was. She was just an object with no real meaning. She was an irrational desire.

"That blondie sure is quite a sight though," Tobi remarked. He felt his blood run cold. His hands clenched into fists. Ino was his and his alone. "Wouldn't mind having her around."

"Don't touch her," he growled. "She's mine."

"Hoh…is that so? Why don't you bring her along then?"

"That's what I plan to do,"

"The second she becomes a hindrance is the second she dies by my hand," Tobi casually warned. Sasuke's eye twitched.

"Whatever."

* * *

Ino settled down in front of the lake. The water shone from the moonlight, casting off a magnificent glow. The others were out of sight and the wind was strong so they wouldn't be able to hear her. She was alone with her thoughts.

When Ino had fainted, it wasn't because she was in shock. When she saw Tobi's sharngan, something had awakened within her. Her mind had gone numb and her vision blurred into nothingness. She was thrusted into the abyss only to be violently thrown into a kaleidoscope of memories.

Itachi's memories.

Sobs wracked through her entire body. The story of the Uchiha brothers…it all made sense now. Itachi had thrown his entire life away for the sake of his beloved little brother. How she wanted to revive him, even for just a couple of minutes just to scold him. He didn't have to make Sasuke hate him. He didn't have to die. There had been another way.

But the deed was done.

"What happened to you?"

Ino started. Since when had he been there? "N-Nothing," she stammered.

He gave her an incredulous look. "Doesn't seem like nothing." She stayed silent for a while. A sigh and some shuffling later, a lone concerned eye bored into her own visible one. It was hard not to spill everything and just get it all out of her system when he looked at her like that.

"Itachi," she mumbled. She had a feeling he already knew that so it wasn't giving away much anyway.

Kakashi hummed. "Misaki threatened me before we left," he began. "Said if Itachi said anything to you, she'd personally disect and mutilate me." She snorted; it sounded so much like her sensei she wasn't even surpri-_Misaki? _Last time she checked, he called her '_Hinamori-san._' Her surprised blink was misunderstood, apparently. "Itachi and her sister used to be in the same team."

She decided to ignore it for now. "Why would she not want him to talk to me?"

He raised a brow at her. "I think you already know why," he replied. Indeed she did. At her sigh, he smiled and pat her head like a father would a child. "Once we get back I suggest you head straight to her office." She nodded. "Meanwhile, I'll be hiding."

With that, the Jounin walked back to the camp site. Ino drew her knees up to her chest, concentrating on clearing her mind. She should have been honest. If she'd told Itachi that the voice had ordered her to castrate her sensei on numerous occasions, what would he have said? Then again, she felt as if he'd known anyway. A frown marred her features. Uchiha men.

The mind walker sighed as she stood. She needed to sleep if she wanted to be in full shape tomorrow.

Of course her mind had other plans.

Ino dreamed of the Uchiha massacre, of Itachi having to kill his whole clan; he had to kill his girlfriend, his parents, his best friend. Seeing it all was heartbreaking but feeling the emotions Itachi had felt away even more devastating. A child shouldn't be feeling such remorse, guilt and helplessness.

The blonde's whimpers went unnoticed.

The next day, they were back in the Leaf. Unsurprisingly, no one came to greet them. Kakashi nodded at her, signaling for her to go to her sensei. She took a deep breath then nodded back.

The T.I. division had a pretty big building all to themselves. It was bland yet imposing at the same time. She frowned at the feeling of dread that she always felt when coming here.

Ino walked into her sensei's office. It was as messy as ever—it was probably messier than Naruto's apartment. Cans and scrolls littered the floor, along with paper that covered the entire floor. Her hand twitched at the state of the room. If it could still be called that.

"Misaki-sensei," she called. When no one answered she shrugged and turned to leave. It was then that a kunai flew straight by her face.

"Oh my~" the sadist exclaimed. "It seems that I missed your head!"

Ino's visible eye twitched. "You could have really hurt me!" she cried. Misaki merely rolled her eyes.

"So? To what do I owe this wonderful visit?" she asked.

Ino took a deep breath. "I met Itachi," she admitted. She was braced against the wall in a matter of seconds.

"And what did he say?"

"To go to your sister," she gasped. A moment later she was freed. She was greeted by the sight of a frowning Misaki.

"That will have to wait," the older woman said before kicking her out of the office. "Come back later."

* * *

Kakashi ran a hand through his spiky hair. Of all times to...His eyes clenched shut, knocked on the window. He didn't want to dump this on the already gloomy boy but he had to know. "The Godaime asked for you," he said.

Naruto perked up when they say the frog summons outside. He probably thought Jiraiya was back. He sighed. Best to get this over with.

Inside the Hokage office was Ino and Sai. They sent Naruto a solemn look. It was hard to imagine what Naruto was thinking but he guessed it went something like '_Where's Ero Sennin?'_

It was heartbreaking. He watched as Naruto pathetically tried to deny it all, refusing to believe that his master could die in battle. To be honest, he used to think the same thing about his own sensei. And that's what tore at him the most. Jiraiya was Naruto's father figure, just like how Minato was his. Fate had a really, _really_ sick sense of humour.

"There's no way he's dead!" Naruto exclaimed. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"Naruto!" Ino chastised. "Why would we joke about something like this?"

And the dam broke. He didn't want to, but he looked on as his students collapsed in each other's arms; looked on as Ino comforted the usually upbeat Uzumaki; looked on as Naruto cried. It was a scene that would forever be imprinted in his mind.

"I wanted him to keep watching over me," Naruto cried. "I wanted him to be there when I finally became Hokage." That was what had him squeeze his eyes shut in an effort to reign the tears in.

"Why now of all times?" he asked nobody in particular.

He would never get an answer.

* * *

While Naruto trained with the toads, Ino hadn't been slacking off either. In fact, she'd been training a lot harder. With the Hokage busy with the investigations, Ino had gone out and studied on her own. She thanked Kami for her ability to absorb information quickly.

There were several books on healing were on the teen's dresser. While most were utterly useless to her, some had provided some insight as to what she had to do in order for her water healing to work.

It was still a theory but, in essence, her technique would be more effective than the Mystical Palm Technique. She smiled to herself. A way to surpass Sakura and even the Fifth!

_Power…_

Her happiness deflated when she heard the faint whisper. Ignoring it, she spotted the dying rose and crumpled letter. Tilting her head to the side, she regarded the two objects. Those were definitely not there before. A frown marred her features. When had those gotten there? She shrugged and picked them up anyway. They seemed harmless enough.

The letter was addressed to her but the sender hadn't signed it. She thought nothing of it. She'd gotten lots of love letters from random strangers before so this wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

The contents made her heart skip a beat. This handwriting looked really similar to Sasuke's own. She narrowed her eyes at the kanji written. They made no sense. Was it a code? She groaned. Great, more decoding.

Deciding she was too tired for such a thing, she plopped onto the bed and passed out.

The morning came too soon. The light that pilfered in through the gap between the curtains hit her slumbering figure. As if an alarm had awoken her, the girl snapped to attention. One blink, two blinks and everything was suddenly thrust into action. The bed made, clothes lain out, shower taken and the kunoichi was ready for the day.

She fingered her detached sleeve. Something felt off. She hummed in thought before shaking the feeling away. It was probably nothing.

Ino skipped towards the lake that she had been frequenting lately. It was peaceful there and was generally isolated so she'd taken a liking to using it as her training spot.

She stopped underneath a tree and looked around. Everything was as she left it. She went through her usual routine of stretching and jogging then started sparring with an imaginary opponent.

Time went by and soon the sun had set. Ino exhaled and collapsed to her knees. The days when Misaki wasn't available were always more tiring for some reason. Perhaps it was because no one was looking? She laughed at herself. Here she was, Yamanaka Ino, self-conscious of her own skills. She smiled ruefully. She wasn't as self-assured as most people thought.

She stretched once again before making her way back home. It was a long trek to get back so she decided she might as well enjoy the cool night. She glanced up at the non-existent stars. It was rare for the sky to be completely starless. She frowned but didn't ponder it any longer.

"You shouldn't be walking all alone at night," the familiar voice of Shikamaru had her slowing to a stop.

She smiled at him. "I'm not some defenseless little kid," she said.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah but you're still a girl," he countered. What did being a girl have to do with any of this? The sexist bastard! "There are a lot of guys out there desperate enough to do just about anything." Oh. Well if he put it that way then she guessed he was right.

"Horny weirdos aside," she said, changing the subject. "How's the investigation going?"

His frown told her everything. "Nothing yet," he admitted. They sighed in unison. "How's your training?" he asked. She grinned brightly. She'd been making progress and it made her glow with satisfaction. "I'll take that as a positive then."

"Oh," Ino suddenly exclaimed. "I hear you and that glasses-girl have been seeing each other a lot lately."

Shikamaru's expression was priceless. "What of it?"

"Nothing~" she practically sang. He narrowed his eyes at her.

She let out a small 'eep' when he suddenly pinned her against a tree. Her cheeks burned as he whispered into her ear. "It better be."

And then he walked on as if nothing had happened. Her eye twitched. The nerve of this guy sometimes! She sucked in a breath and walked with confidence, chin in the air.

Everything slowed down after that. They spoke about missions and general things. It was nice, talking like this. It made her feel like everything wasn't falling to pieces.

The duo went their separate ways once they reached Ino's house.

After taking a much needed shower, the Yamanaka yawned as she collapsed on her bed. The nightmares were few nowadays. She reckoned that training herself to the ground was an unconscious way of bypassing the dreams since she usually came home fatigued. Tonight though, Shikamaru's appearance had woken her up once again.

Sleep would not come for a while.

The teen lay in bed, staring at the blank ceiling. It had been two hours at best and she still hadn't slept a wink. She frowned.

Once sleep did take her, the images began almost instantly.

Sweat coated her body, making silky blonde tresses stick to her face and back. It was the same vision over and over again yet it felt more and more depressing each time it repeated. She didn't think she'd ever get used to them.

Realizing that she probably wouldn't be getting any sleep that night, Ino took out her weights and decided to go for a run around the village. It wasn't an ideal time to be doing such a thing but nothing else came to mind at the moment.

_Stupid girl. You should be with him, not here!_

Ino ignored it once again as she adjusted her weights. She'd neglected the things for a while now, deeming her speed to be fast enough. She considered adding weights to her arms as well. It would be a way to imitate the Fifth's superhuman strength. She discarded the idea almost immediately.

_Pain shall reign._

The girl blinked at the odd sentence. Pain shall reign? What did that mean. She knit her eyebrows together but decided to let it go for now. The voice was meant to be ignored.

* * *

**A/N:** I really dislike this arc so please bear with me.


	16. Chapter 16

_Ocean Ripples_

_by Noriellie_

**Summary**: What would change if Ino had been put into Team 7 instead of Sakura? A lot of course, considering she doesn't even like Sasuke and tolerates Naruto. Undecided pairings.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing.

**Disclaimer**: Kishimoto is most definitely not female.

* * *

_Chapter 16_

In the beginning, there was always two and never one.

From the start, there was a voice; one of logic and selflessness. Imagine a neighborhood. In a neighborhood, there is that one person who would always greet you on the street, would always sympathize with your family. He or she is probably one of the nicest people you'd ever meet.

Yet from the start, there was another voice; one of instinct and selfishness. It's that grumpy neighbor who would yell at you for stepping on his or her lawn. That neighbor who always has a scowl on their face. You tend to ignore them a lot.

But humans had always been selfish, always been reliant on instinct. It isn't their choice, it's the thing that stayed the same throughout the history of mankind; self-preservation. It is not until humans are faced with the tough question of whether or not dying in the stead of another person is worth it does that instinct become overrun.

Die for your loved one or watch them die in front of you?

It's a question most would answer almost instantly. Who wanted to watch that precious person die in front of them? Certainly no one.

But there had always been two and never one.

xxxxx

It was interesting to say the least. The blonde blinked at the cat in her arms. Not too long ago it had been bloody and on the verge of death yet here it was, alive and well. Her technique had been a success.

It was her first time so she hadn't been too keen on trying it on the dying feline but the desperation and silent pleading in the cat's eyes had been too much. Thank Kami it worked.

As the situation took its sweet time sinking in, the young kunoichi gently laid the cat down and stretched. That was nerve-wracking. She wondered how Tsunade did it. It must be tough, having to work on near-death patients a lot. It was then that she decided; she never wanted to be a doctor.

As the blonde walked home, she noticed the rescued animal following her. Her eye twitched. She couldn't possibly take the thing home. Her dad didn't take well to pets. She froze. Naruto's apartment was currently empty…a grin lit up her entire face. She didn't have to take it home, she could just find it a place to stay for a while.

The skipping blonde was ignored by many. This type of behavior wasn't very unusual.

_Look at those goons!_

On instinct, she did. There was a group of civilian men eyeing her like she was some sort of eye candy. It wasn't unusual either, to be the recipient of such. Something about these guys felt off however. She frowned. Whatever.

The blonde reached her teammate's apartment in a matter of seconds. The men from before had been following her so she'd taken to the rooftops. It wasn't like the cat couldn't jump up there as well. Besides, the houses in the Leaf were usually close together so the cat wouldn't fall into the alleys.

Inside was a mess. She sighed as she picked up an old boxer and threw it into the trash. How did that even get in the living room? Maybe she should help him clean up sometimes. Kami knows he needs it.

"You'll be staying here for a while," she explained to the white Siamese cat. "It's messy but livable."

The response was a soft mew. If only cats could speak.

Ino bit her tongue. "Who lives in this dump?" It was a masculine voice that sounded way too deep to belong to such a tiny creature.

"A-A friend of mine," she replied.

_Kill it! Kill it! It isn't normal! Kill it!_

"That fox kid I always see around town?" it/he asked. She nodded. "You live with him?"

"No," she said. "You have to stay here since Daddy doesn't like pets very much."

"Big Daddy?"

"What?"

"Never mind."

A few seconds of awkward silence passed.

"If you don't mind me asking…what are you?"

There was a pause as the cat licked its paw. "An innocent stray cat." Yeah right. And her name was Bob.

But it couldn't possibly do any harm. What could a talking cat do?

A lot, it seemed.

Ino sighed as the cat that had identified itself as 'Yuuki' climbed atop her head once again. Shikamaru had gotten a kick out of it the first few times. His laughter was quieted with a swift kick to the gut.

She laughed harder when Yuuki started talking. Who knew a cat could be so innapropriate?

"You two have probably had sex before," Yuuki remarked one day, resulting in choking Chuunin. The amusement was clear in the cat's eyes and tone. "Surely you have, with how close you two are acting!"

Ino had abruptly stood and chased the abomination all day. That stupid thing wouldn't see the light of day any time soon!

Needless to say, it was a week full of laughter and cat problems. It was as if everything wasn't crumbling right in front of her eyes.

xxxxx

And then everything did. There was nothing left but debris as she sped through the village. Naruto…he'd better come back. Tears in her eyes at Shizune's death, she continued on. If only she hadn't been so slow! Damn it!

Up ahead she spotted a familiar white cat. What was Yuuki doing out? She cursed. She had no time for this!

And then the cat transformed into a female swordsman. Ino gagged. What the hell? It was like that manga she read once.

They stared at each other for a while before she finally snapped out of it and continued on. With her life, she shouldn't have been surprised.

Ino took a look around her, searching, always searching. He had to be somewhere here, right? She ground her teeth at the devastation caused. Pein was really strong.

Just as she thought that, she had to get blasted into a building. She didn't proof that Pein was strong. She knew that already! Her eye twitched as the she and the animal summoner had a stare down. She couldn't compete with this! Damn it. Damn it all to hell!

In a desperate attempt to get away, she used her almost inhuman speed to bolt out of there. She was stopped by an invisible wall. Or at least that was what she thought it was until a massive chameleon began to materialize. Behind her, a multi-headed dog growled. Shit.

_Pain shall reign._

She really wanted to scream at that stupid voice. It didn't even make any sense! Pain shall reign? Who the hell came up with that?

Frustration driving her forward, she yelled. "Water Release: Tsunami!"

It was a technique she'd put off using for a while. Not only did it require great concentration, it also required an immense amount of chakra.

And it nearly had her fainting.

A great wall of water seemingly appeared out of nowhere and crashed down on the summons. The summoner and Ino were long gone by the time the mist had cleared.

Somewhere…it had to be somewhere near Leaf yet far enough away from the battle. Somewhere outside the borders then.

_Run!_

She leapt up just as an eagle swooped at her feet. Why was this guy so intent on stopping only her? It wasn't like she did anything to cause suspicion! With a sudden surge of chakra, she boosted forwards.

If you can't fight it, run.

And so she did.

She reached the wall in seconds. It wasn't as imposing as it used to be, crumbled down like that. It seemed like a repeat of what happened with Orochimaru. She shook the thought away, knowing where it was leading. No, the Hokage would live this time. Nothing bad would happen.

Ino sucked in a breath as she was propelled forwards by an unseen force. What the hell was that? She rolled as she hit the ground, lessening the impact. It still hurt though.

The blonde cursed as she hid from the hawk circling overhead. Why won't they just let her go?

_This world...shall know pain._

The voice wasn't helping her mood either. She experienced frustration like no other.

_Focus, girl. You're of no use like this._

She blinked. Wait a second...good advice? What?

_Run!_

And she did. She ran as fast as she could towards a multitude of trees and wet ground. "Earth Release: Earth Wall," she cried as she pulled the muddy ground up into a cocoon that could pass as a small hill. She would be able to think at least.

She was a sensor, she could find them, right? She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be doubting herself. Sucking in a deep breath, she lost herself in the world of chakra. She felt everything; the trees, the bugs, the weeds. It felt like she could see without her eyes.

Her vision extended until it encompassed the entire five-mile radius around Leaf itself. She'd definitely find this Pein guy now. She'd find him and wait for Naruto to get back. He was the only one who could possibly stand a chance against this guy.

_He can't save you now._

Of course he could! He was the master of surprises, Uzumaki Naruto. He would pop out of nowhere and save them all, just like always. Just like always…

_You were the one who said you didn't want to be weak._

_Weakling! Run!_

_Soon, the world shall feel it. Pain shall reign._

Ino got out of the mound just in time as a large summon trampled it. Cursing her luck, she fought to keep her mind in check. There were three voices now, one soft, another demanding, and the last self-assured. What on earth was happening to her? Had she finally gone mental?

She hoped not.

It took her a second to realize that this voice didn't feel like an unearthly presence. It felt a lot like Naruto's thoughts. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Pain shall reign. _Pein!_

All she needed to do now was locate the source. She clenched her eyes shut, delving into the realm of chakra once again. She used the voice she had heard earlier to fine-tune her searching. She didn't want bugs right now, thanks.

Then everything around her exploded into a myriad of colours…and darkness came once again. She really needed to stop fainting so much.

* * *

**A/N: **This chapter's a little short as I'm using this to say a few stuff before moving into the new chapter. First of all, I will be rewriting the earlier chapters, it will be pretty minor, not enough to make a huge difference but I will be adding a few scenes to make the story make a bit more sense. The beginning especially, seemed kind of rushed so I might just completely scrap the whole thing and rewrite a new first chapter. Everything else will probably just be a paragraph or two.

If I do end up rewriting the whole first chapter, I'll make sure to let you guys know. For now though, chapters will be slightly shorter.

And yes, I did stop using the pagebreaks. They were a pain in the butt so I just got rid of them and used my own.

Reviews are always welcome. _Come on guys, one more to 69! (Sorry, not sorry.)_


	17. Chapter 17

_Ocean Ripples_

_by Noriellie_

**Summary**: What would change if Ino had been put into Team 7 instead of Sakura? A lot of course, considering she doesn't even like Sasuke and tolerates Naruto. Undecided pairings.

**Warnings**: Slight AU, swearing, OOC-ness, character death, slight character bashing.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Naruto. :|

* * *

_Chapter 17_

Ino was in a void full of colours. She blinked, then blinked again. These weren't just tricks of the eye; these things were real. She furrowed her eyebrows. What were they then? She tentatively took a step forward, towards the one right in front of her. Reaching an unsure hand out at the lightsource, she froze. It felt like…a tree bark? Understanding dawned her. Everything she was seeing was chakra!

Six wavy figures stood off in the distance, garnering her attention. They were either Pein or Leaf nin. She hoped they were Leaf nin. She couldn't possibly fight against all five at once. Sucking in a breath, she stalked forwards.

A sudden surge of power disrupted the chakra all around her. She braced herself as she was pelted towards a giant rock.

It still hurt like a bitch. Groaning in pain, Ino recovered. She was no use on the ground. Her eyes searched around her, looking for the five chakra signatures once again.

_Run!_

She gasped as she ran full speed towards the five faint blurs. Where had the sixth one gone? No matter, four extremely weakened people were better than six of them at full power. Assuming this was Pein of course. If they were Leaf nin then she'd heal them to the best of her abilities. She just hoped the sixth person hadn't died.

As she got closer, she noticed a few things: one, these people had the same chakra; two, the voices were quiet; three, there was a spot where chakra seemed to completely disappear. She remembered what her mother had once said to her.

_Always be wary of places without chakra._

A chakra barrier, perhaps? It wasn't impossible. Ino clenched her jaw. Time for some investigating. She sneaked stealthily along, trying to make as little noise as possible. She wished her sight was better though. Only seeing colours wasn't very useful.

She rubbed at her eyes. It felt unnatural, this state. She wondered if she'd ever get used to it. Probably not.

The nearer she got, the better her eyesight became. Someone had answered her prayers. She grinned, finally able to make out the faint outline of the huge tree ahead of her. It was well disguised, fitting straight in with the rest of the landscape. Except for the fact that it emitted no ambient chakra.

She didn't even notice that the blurs had all become bright once again and disappeared.

This was exhilirating; going out on a solo mission. Maybe it made her feel special somehow? She shook the thought away. She had to concentrate or she might get killed.

The trail of chakra had her on her guard almost immediately. Behind? She checked and no one was there. Then, above! Sure enough, a figure with wings floated right above her, ready to strike. Something seemed odd about the wings though. Whatever, now wasn't the time to be dawdling; now was the time to let instinct take over.

"Water Release: First Wave!"

Chakra filled water burst forth from nowhere. Ino saw it though. She'd somehow converted the ambient chakra around her into her own. Now that was interesting. What was more interesting was that the figure couldn't fly anymore. The wings had given way.

Paper!

A triumphant grin on her face, she prepared another water jutsu. Soaked, paper was useless. Things were thankfully going her way.

"I will not let you get any further," the figure said. So it was a woman. She couldn't tell, with just the outline.

"I'll get through no matter what," she countered. She didn't know what had come over her. Perhaps it was overconfidence, she did have the advantage in this fight after all.

There was a pause before the woman sighed and stepped aside. What? Seriously, that was it? She'd hoped to fight or something. She'd wanted a story of her own to tell Naruto.

But she bit back any retorts she had. Why waste such a good opportunity?

Inside the tree trunk (it turned out to be made of paper) was a gaunt looking man with fiery red hair hooked up to a machine of sorts. His eyes were sullen and she could clearly see his ribs. This was Pein? It was kind of disappointing, really.

A burst of malicious chakra had her fall to her knees. Naruto was…but why? She ground her teeth. Pein or Naruto? Pein or Naruto? She squeezed her eyes shut. This chakra was even worse than the last times he'd let the Kyuubi take over. What was happening out there?

"The boy has awakened his sixth tail," Pein rasped. She froze. Six tails? She shook with fear and worry. If the fourth tail was bad for him then how bad would six be? "Go, try to save him."

"I would only get in the way," she murmured.

"That girl didn't think so,"

Ino's eyes widened. What girl? "Who?"

"A Hyuuga," the woman responded. Hinata…

She coughed as the dark chakra full of malice overwhelmed her senses. What happened to the seals? Moreoever, what was Yamato doing? Kakashi? She ground her teeth as she concentrated on what Pein was saying. God Realm? What the hell was that? She frowned as he called out a jutsu. What exactly was he trying to do?

The blonde stared in awe at the massive ball of earth in the sky outside. Was that what that jutsu was? It looked really powerful but what could it do? Was it an explosive? She squinted her eyes, trying to locate the other blonde. Another blast of chakra sent her flying back. What the hell was happening to Naruto?

She jumped when eight tails appeared. She needed to give him a sign, anything, _something! _At this rate he could really…she shook the thought away. Best not to think about such things. Besides, this was Naruto; the most surprising ninja to ever live. He'd snap out of it. He had her utter faith.

The last pulse of chakra had her in tears. This wasn't the Kyuubi anymore. Ino started when Pein hacked. The jutsu crumbled and Pein relaxed once more. It had her wondering why he was in such a state in the first place.

"Why are you like that?" It wasn't a question she should be asking in this situation but she did it anyway. She didn't need to ask why he was doing this, he'd already told her.

"Konan…" he coughed. "Why did you bring this girl here?"

Konan made no indication of answering. "Hey," she said. "Answer me."

"I have no need to," he responded with a steely stare. She reciprocated with a glare of her own.

_Help him._

Her hands glowed cyan. This was what Naruto would do. She smiled fondly. Naruto would never actually kill this guy before having a proper talk with him.

"Nagato…" Konan said as the real Pein began panting. It was all she needed.

Ino stalked over on shaky legs. He couldn't attack her physically but he still had those eyes. She pursed her lips. Whatever. He wouldn't be able to shake her off that easily! She stood behind him and concentrated. She had to examine him first. Blindly healing wouldn't do any good.

Minutes passed in silence as she tried to heal several broken ribs and chakra coils. This guy…what had he done to his body? "You shouldn't abuse yourself this much," she chastised, taking on a matronly tone. It was a laughable situation; here she was, lecturing Pein about his treatment of his own body.

Konan sighed. "It's no use," she began. "He won't listen."

She looked up when she felt Naruto's chakra approaching. Something was different about him. The welcome image of Naruto ripping the paper tree apart .

She half listened to the conversation. She was rather proud of her fellow blonde for not exploding, especially after the whole 'your role is to be a sacrifice' bullshit Nagato spouted. She didn't even flinch when the chakra rod impaled her teammate.

"I came here to talk to you," Naruto said. "But there was something else I wanted to find out too."

She didn't even glance at her friend as he announced his intention of killing Pein. He had her complete and utter faith after all. So it didn't surprise her when he hesitated and stood down. He wouldn't be able to do it—kill off his master's student.

Ino stood back as she finished with her healing. There was nothing more she could do. This would at least allow him to live for a few more days at best. She sighed as she slid down the paper wall. The rest was up to her friend. Her eyes slowly began to close.

xxxxx

The blood red moon shone ominously in the sky; a scary sight to behold. On Earth, the ground was also stained with a sickening red. A massacre had taken place.

Tears fell as ruby eyes stared at the bodies on the floor. They didn't even fight him; simply allowed him to take their lives. Eyes clenched shut, the boy jumped out of the window. He had a feeling he'd forgotten something but after a quick mental check, realized that he hadn't left anything extremely important behind.

Imagine his surprise when his crying little brother ran out onto the street to chase him. How had he forgotten about him? Or perhaps he'd done it on purpose—ignore the fact that his brother was in the house. It made sense, seeing as he wouldn't have the heart to see such lively eyes turn dull and…_dead_.

Killing his precious brother was something even he wouldn't be able to live with.

xxxxx

Lifeless blue orbs opened. It was that nightmare again. Would she ever break free of it? She doubted it but she could hope, right?

"So you're awake," Misaki's voice startled her. "Get up. We're leaving."

After years of working with the woman, Ino knew arguing would only resuly in endless amounts of pain and so she obediently followed her sensei. She wondered where she was taking her. More training?

"What happened to the village?" she asked.

"Danzo's the new Hokage," Misaki replied. "He's issued an order to kill Uchiha Sasuke on sight."

Oh.


End file.
